Dollface's World
by dollface78
Summary: Dollface's World is kinda weird. But when that's your life, that's your life! Story two: https:/www.fanfiction
1. Red Rabbits

Dollface Eloise Cowatch stared, glued to the teevee screen.

Concept unification was taking over the nation.

Dollface stared at Friendly Bear and his gang of knock-off Fazbear animatronics on the flickering stand, ugly, over-saturated colors and latex faces distorted and not helped in the slightest by the television set as Cecil, the town's only news anchor, and _DAMN_ proud of it, talked on and on and on.

God, could Cecil Baldwin talk!

He could drone more than Dollface's school teachers!

Tonight, it was mostly about how the tiny town, the few who cared anyway, had been grateful for any cheap party house, especially one they could forget they had kids while inside of and would most certainly miss the old cast and welcome in the new one.

Even if the animatronics were gaudy and gave said kids nightmares...

But hey, Friendly Bear's had an in-house laser tag arena!

And for only a few dollars a person!

It's a family deal!

What a bargain, what a steal!

And for only five dollars admission fee!

That meant prices might go up after finalization though….

Dollface thought about everything too fast and her head was filled up and soon she was overwhelmed.

Then, like a switch, they all dribbled from her mind and she went on her way with one linear inner monologue.

Dollface thumped onto her haunches, pulling at her jean skirt, the one with the overalls straps and a bib front Gramma had helped her make last year.

Gramma had retired as a school teacher to be the town tailor, allowing her granddaughter to learn and create alongside her.

Red Rodney Rabbit and his green guitar would soon be one form of blue, or purple, bunny or another, while Chelsea Chicken and her limp pink skirt would get an upgrade.

Into Chica. (duh!)

Dollface wondered about the fate of Felix the blue fox. He'd been out of order forever! Fazcorp, the company taking over all the smaller competitors across the U.S. so they could expand their own miniscule line of prestigious creatures, would probably not be able to continue with the broken-down swashbuckler.

Well, maybe this was good.

Dollface always wanted to go up to the big city with her friends to play in the arcades and watch the _REAL_ Freddy Fazbear perform onstage, but between gas money and party prices, they just couldn't afford it.

"Gramma?" She padded sock foot onto the linoleum floors of the kitchen, leaving the teevee on to yammer to itself in the other room.

Cecil could go on and on forever if his good 'friend' Carlos didn't show up and remind him to eat once in a while!

Gramma quietly peeled potatoes by the sink. "Mmm?"

"My friends and I wanted t'go t'Friendly's tonight, an' I was wonderin' if there was anythang ya wanted me t'do b'fore I got ready."

"Well, I just finished the 'taters..." Gramma muttered, "and dinner'll be ready later. How 'bout you do all t'laundry t'morrow so I can get the attic cleaned out again."

Dollface nodded.

She loved the attic. It was where she'd found her favorite toy, a real vintage Funtum Mortimer McSnurd dummy her Mama found on the side of the road one day walking home from school. It went missing after a month of play, and Dollface was never quite the same…

Was it because she'd brought it to school and annoyed the teacher with eerily good impressions of other students?

Anyway!

"Which friends are comin' tonight?"

"Izzalia and Princess."

"Hm."

"What's wrong, Gramma?" Dollface asked, high pitched voice quivering. She just wanted Gramma's approval!

"Nothin', nothin'." Gramma looked distant. "I'm just glad you have friends. And the kind that'll keep you out of trouble."

"Is this about Mama again?"

Mama never had friends, even if she was tall, and pretty, and athletic…

It had been why Dollface had been born.

Gramma snapped out of whatever funk she'd fallen into at Dollface's unintentionally sharp question. "Let's not discuss that now." Gramma kissed Dollface on the forehead. "You're getting so tall and pretty, just like her."

"No I'm not. Mama's tall an'I still have t'stand on m'toes t'reach things."

"Never mind her, you are you and she's gone fer now."

Dollface rung her hands.

She'd be turning sixteen on the last few days of summer. That was in only a few months now! She was already doing better than Mama ever did.

"_Danke Großmutter_." Dollface called as she ran to her bedroom on the other side of the twenties' style cottage.

"Get me _eine rot luftballon, großtochter, das ist meine_ favorite!" Replied Gramma over her shoulder, grabbing a real slugger of a carrot for the week's stew to peel.

Once inside her room and past the shelves of Funtum Black Label Rabbits that lined an entire shelf, Dollface searched her closet for something to wear, grabbing a jean jacket, then turning on her antique dresser. Finding acid washed jeans to match and a white tee-shirt, she changed into them, then gelled her hair up a bit.

Gramma always hated when she dressed like this, but since it was more appropriate than what the rich kids in other towns wore, Gramma couldn't really complain for too long. She always said Dollface needed to dress more 'feminine'.

Dollface liked that too, but tonight, she wanted to feel like a rockstar, just like Joan Jett!

With a bit of dark makeup and dramatic eyeliner, Dollface was ready.

She looked like a short, blonde Joan Jett!

Or even Annie Lennox!

Outside, after a quick call on the ancient landline her grandfather had saved every penny for with her friends down the street, the girl threw her booted leg over her bike, tossing her bag into the basket, and took off past the old buildings from eras past.

Daisy's Dairy Delights where she worked summer shifts, old Mister Haddonfield's hardware store (the one that got broken into last year, poor mister Haddonfield!) a few Victorian houses that lay either abandoned or well-lived and unkempt, and finally, she turned onto Hurricane street, right next to the abandoned Joey Drews' Studio.

She snatched her bag then ran in her combat boots on the cracked, black asphalt to her friends standing by the glass and metal door of Friendly Bear's.

Izzy immediately opened her arms for a hug, hair teased to the heavens, complete with cow headband and a small side ponytail. They giggled and laughed in their excitement, Izzy's fluffy pink skirt glittering and bouncing in the hot sunlight.

"So, are we gonna go in, or just stand here?" Princess smiled her full lips, rose tinted glasses blinding Dollface from the glare of the late afternoon light.

Princess wasn't much for cuddles, and how she managed to survive in this weather wearing a tide orange sweater was beyond Dollface.

And she never really dressed up for much either.

But Dollface still fell for her childhood best friend in the seventh grade anyway.

"Wait, wait wait wait, wait." Dollface stuttered flatly, seeing a car that was waaaay too familiar for comfort.

"Oh, uh, yeah. That shouldn't bother us, right?" Izzy knotted her thick brows and smiled worriedly. The three knew what this could end up being, but no one wanted to go home after all.

"Ugh, she always has to pick a fight with us. Why would she even be here?" Princess complained in her flat voice.

"C'mon guys, an enemy is just a friend ya haven't met yet. It'll be fine!" Dollface assured them with her usual brand of confidence as she strutted to the door.

Princess glared, adjusting her yellow crown in her blue hair, rightfully skeptical.

Dollface opened the door with a giggle and swept her hand in one long gesture, while listening for the comforting sounds of the rushing, roaring train that ran through the town on occasion for some funny kind of security. "Ladies first!"


	2. Cat Fight

Breathing in the air of stale grease and electronic doo-dads, Dollface pulled out a beaten wallet from the bag she'd hastily thrown over her back as she strode with unrivalled confidence to the counter.

"Just our usuals?" She said with true assurance in her voice as she passed her friends, already pulling out the cash she'd earned working at Daisy's.

She already knew the answers, all orders memorized.

"Hi Jeremy!" Izzy bounded up to the counter right behind her.

Izzy had to admit, the sound of air cylinders and canned music did fill her with some childish excitement.

Excitement of the learned unknown.

Jeremy sniffed, red, sleepless eyes blinking too slowly to be anywhere near conscious.

"Arcade, laser tag, meal, and, like, a show?" He asked, already nodding off.

Jeremy would definitely benefit from better hours, or even a new job. Much like the security guard, Mike, he disliked people under a certain age and had gotten stuck working minimum wage well past his dues.

Then again, dropping out of highschool had its consequences.

The girls nodded quickly.

Izzy's long, floppy cow ears attached to her horned headband bobbed with her.

Jeremy sighed, pulling out an order pad, already saying it along with them.

"One dairy-free pepperoni, and one personal sized veggie lover's please." Chimed Dollface with a grin.

Jeremy set out three paper cups for tokens with the grotesque animal heads on them as Dollface placed down her money with a wide smile. He dropped a handful of tokens into them and yawned drearily, beginnings of a pubey beard forming on his chin.

They took their usual cups, Izzy with Chelsea Chicken, Princess with Rodney Rabbit, and Dollface with Friendly Bear himself stamped on it, smiling proudly with square teeth, as if saying to the world, 'I'm ready!'

They sat down at their usual table, right next to the stage.

Tonight would be great as long as-"Hey bee-yatch, still missing something?"

Dollface stopped counting her tokens to happily shout, "Oh hi Missy!"

Dollface threw her legs over the bench with a smile to see Prissy Missy Custer, all three bottles of cheap perfume and crusty box dyed red hair in a high, unconditioned ponytail. It flared around her like an unwashed mane.

Missy snapped her gum with a sneer. "So, find yer ma yet? Or does she never wanna see your pizza face ever again?"

"They stopped searching last year, actually. They think she's just dead now, because fifteen years is a reeeeally long time to be gone." Dollface answered, unperturbed by the jab.

Missy gaped, then nonchalantly blew a bubble. "A loser and her loser friends."

She glanced over Dollface's padded shoulder. "A fat cow, the carpet muncher, and uuuh..." Missy searched Dollface for an unoriginal idea, "Oh yeah, that's right! The Space Cadet!"

Missy brayed, the sound feeling empty without her usual back-up chorus of friends. Dollface blinked and cocked her head.

"You sure look funny without your friends. Did yer daddy get that client?"

Missy blinked at her, surprised at the unintentional jab. "What's it to ya, bee-atch?"

She pushed Dollface, not that hard, but hard enough for the much smaller girl to fall onto her skinny butt with an "Oof!" Dollface popped back up again, just like a gopher doll on whack-a-mole.

"Well, I noticed you guys have been driving that big 'ol Minivan lately. Usually your family drives a Mazda or BMW. Or even a PRIUS!"

Missy pushed her again, throwing Dollface off her balance and into the bench again, hitting her back on the attached table.

Izzy and Princess cringed at the loud crack.

"Hey! No fair!" Dollface kicked her legs back up and planted her feet on the carpet.

Dollface looked at Missy's hair. Looking at the girl's muddy roots, her brain wandered off in hopes of a peace treaty or a new friend. "I could help ya with yer hair. I could even do it with you. Ya really just need t'condition it an-"

Missy slapped Dollface across the cheek.

Hard.

Missy started yelling at her.

Dollface squeezed her eyes shut.

What'd she say?

"Hey! That's enough girls!"

Mike, the half dead security guard that usually lurked in a corner or wandered dazed around the hallway now towered over them, having taken three strides of his long, long legs to break up the small cat fight that had started.

Missy crossed her arms and jutted her chin up at him as Dollface attempted to back up in close quarters.

"I'm not gonna be yer daddy, but I am gonna tell ya right now t'quit!"

Dollface sat down again.

With a huff, Missy turned and stomped away, red ponytail whipping anyone in range.

"Y'all really had t'start a fight with that girl again?" Mike glared down at Dollface sternly.

"We did not start it. But Dollface definitely dragged it out." Princess said, flatly. Izzy nodded quietly, too scared to say anything.

Dollface's eyes stang.

Owie.

"I don' know what it is with you two, but th'secon' yall see each other, blood starts runnin'."

"Sorry sir," Dollface mumbled with a runny sniff, "But I thought it never hurt t'help."

"Well, she takes that as an insult. Y'need t'learn how t'keep yer mouth shut more, babe' gurl."

Dollface suddenly became very invested in her boots out of shame.

Mike had been someone very impressive in his youth, being so big an' strong, an' all. Now he was some ex-Marine wash-up at a knock-off Freddy Fazbears' in his forties with a bad case of Dunlap's.

Mike was supposed to be a police officer on the tiny two-person force, but after the county had been sued for diversity discrimination, a woman had taken his place instead.

"Y'all aren't even payin' attention t'me, are ya?"

"Yes, sir?" Dollface looked up, not really sure what the question was.

Mike let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, just," he rubbed his face with a large, calloused hand, "do me a favor, babe' gurl, an' stay outta trouble's way?"

"Yes sir." She felt bad for making her forever-tired cousin Mike even more exhausted.

Maybe she'd buy him coffee for his birthday next year.

He lumbered off to doze on his feet somewhere. He was so much crabbier now that his wife, Princess's favorite dance teacher, had died.

Dollface had always thought about them being good parents, having met the big Polish woman before the cancer had set in last year.

Sadly, their wish was never granted.

Raina'd seemed so happy and content, even when her life was going to be cut short. Dollface could admire and respect that in a funny, sad way.

It was kinda weird, especially to admit, but Dollface had, at some point, hoped that they secretly were her parents.

Which is why she never admitted it aloud.

"Really Dollface?" Princess, never one to ignore a good scolding, started up before the much more timid Izzy could change the subject. " That girl is nothing but trouble. She treats us like a mound of dirt! 'It never hurts to help!'? Really?"

Dollface rolled her black eyes, still studying the carpet under her feet. "Guys, an enemy is just a friend ya haven't made yet."

"You say that all the time." Izzy piped up. "You even said it before we walked in. You say it a lil too much"

"C'mon guys, she has to have SOME good in her!" Dollface tried to counter with, small nervous giggle escaping her throat. "And look at the bright side! Half priced tokens, a round or two of laser tag, and-"

Dollface drummed on the table as the three watched Jeremy set down a dairy-free pepperoni pizza and carefully placed the veggie lovers in front of Princess with a cloud of skunk. "Dinner with a show!"

"Oh my gawd Dollface," Princess put her head in her hands, pink glasses getting smudged in the process, "Only you."

As if on cue, the scheduled show came on with a tinny clatter. Dollface laughed out of excitement. Friendly Bear was starting his opening skit with Rodney while the house lights dimmed.

She bounced in her seat, thoroughly enjoying the terrible pop songs covered by Chelsea and Rodney, laughing along with Friendly's poorly timed jokes, and quickly ate her fill of cardboard flavored pizza.

Maybe they could all come work here when it reopened as Fazbear's.

Izzy and Princess muttered about the ugly blue fox outside of the lazer arena.

"Probably out of order. As usual." Princess mused.

Dollface quickly hushed them. They were at her favorite part, the one where Chelsea's talking cheesecake sang a perfect falsetto about the restaurant's famous cheese pizza.

The pizza in question tasted like shit, but hey, it was singable!

"Can we hurry up and play already? I really want to get a prize from that doll thing!"

"I thought you said you hated the ventriloquist, Princess."

"Eh, I have warmed up to it." Princess answered Izzy in that unusually flat way of hers.

"Fine," Dollface muttered, already getting up. Why fight it? They'd seen this show zillions of times anyway, and her companions were getting restless, "I need t'stretch my legs anyway."


	3. Mirror, Mirror

"Urgh, stupid dress."

"Chill out, Izzy." Princess pulled out a shiny tube of lipstick from her sweater pocket.

"Is it too late t'change clothes?" Izzy pulled at her tutu. "Why'd I think this would be a good idea t'wear here? And with heels?"

"Take a chill pill." Princess said, flatter than a pancake as she uncapped and unscrewed the tangy colored bullet. "You look good in my old practice skirt."

"I overdress for everything!" Izzy exclaimed.

"It is fine," insisted Princess, more firmly this time as she leaned to the mirror and expertly smeared it on her lips. "Dollface will doubtlessly have us come to the grand opening of Freddy's, and we can all coordinate better then."

Izzy held out a hand.

Princess slapped the glittery tube into her friend's palm.

"How's your girlfriend?" Izzy screwed the stick into it's tube and placed it into her leather jacket pocket. The three shared makeup so much, they couldn't remember who owned what anymore.

Princess played with one of the two candy blue pigtails secured in her hair with tide orange scrunchie like an alien's antennae. "Lilly is doing fine. She is getting ready for this year's Christmas production."

"Ooooh," Izzy giggled, wardrobe fail forgotten. "What part did you get?"

"I get to be the Nutcracker Prince since ballet is 'too queer' for boys to be in." Princess stated to Izzy as she finished applying a lip liner and carefully handed the tube of cosmetics back into her friend's hand with a swell of pride. "I will show them 'too queer'."

"I bet you will!"

Princess walked back out of the bathroom with the tacky tube in her sweater pocket, cat bumping Izzy on the shoulder, ready to go back to the main party room and meet up with Dollface.

And there she was, alone in the tacky bathroom. Feeling like she should've thought her outfit out better, Izzy stared in the mirror with the twinkling diva lights surrounding it's glassy surface.

Hearts.

Everywhere.

How babyish could you get? Like, at least Princess looked cool in her neon orange sweater with "Heart Breaker" on the front.

Knowing that at least Princess would have something heart themed, Izzalia had grabbed a tutu with a matching black pleather belt with a heart shaped buckle. And heels.

Just small ones, but still.

Heels!

With little red and pink hearts blathered to its glossy white surface. With bows and rhinestones on the toes!

She growled at her reflection, turning and twisting in the mirror to look at her pear shape better. Izzy lightly touched the cold chain with, you guessed it, one half of a mood predicting friendship heart dangling from it.

Why did she always overdress?

"You look fat."

Practically jumping out of her rhinestone pumps, Izzy watched Missy circle her like a shark. "What?"

"You do. Like a fuggin' hippo." Missy smiled, leaning into a mirror and pulling at her skin to inspect her spottedness. "Oh, just like, stick it down yer throat, fat cow."

She smiled like she was a cat, who'd caught the unsuspecting mouse that was Izzalia Deyhet. It flickered across her face, then made way for a grimace at a new acne scar on her chin. "You really are dedicated to cows, aren't you?"

Izzy ignored her, trying not to look at either girl's reflection.

She couldn't stand seeing the skinny skank circling her.

Izzy was beginning to feel guilty for eating dinner.

"Good job on that. Like, you have the weight aspect down pretty well."

Izzy turned away from the mirror and stared at the paper towel dispenser in discomfort. Well, her face was a little on the round side, and her bottom heavy shape was really suffering right now...

"Like, yer just burstin' at th'seams ya fat, like, manatee or whatever the hell you are!"

"Y'know what, just shut up." Izzy didn't even recognize that as her own voice, and looked around for Dollface. Missy stopped in her verbal circling, practically tripping on air.

"I-I've had enough! You did it once, but you can't do it again!" Izzy felt sick. The temptation to fall back was almost too much, but she couldn't let Prissy Missy Custer win.

Missy smiled, knowing she'd been under her current victim's skin before.

Missy was like that.

She needed to be under her current victim's skin, no matter what.

She desperately needed that attention. Her posse was into that shit too, but after the bell rang and school was out for the summer, they were G-O-N-E, _gone_!

Izzy pushed past the bully and walked out of the throne room, and said in a sudden burst of uncharacteristic confidence: "No wonder you don't have any friends, the fun dries up, they dry up!"


	4. Laser Crush

_Pew pew! _

Dollface hooped and hollered, destroying all competition in the ring from her sniper's nest.

Dolli Mae woulda loved this!

Except, Dolli Mae was off at state rifle competitions, winning golds and making the town proud with her bitchin' skills and outdoing all the boys who bragged about their hunts.

Prissy Missy, having seen them enter the laser tag arena, had snatched her sticky kid brother by the arm and dragged him over with some other kid, insisting on them kicking Dollface's skinny white ass.

Little did they know or even remember, the commander of an intergalactic army with genuine laser weapons had trained them how to use the real things!

(Except no one remembers that commander, a little man with an eye for a head, because that's not really very important to this particular story.)

It was easy enough getting the jump on Prissy Missy and her lameass team. All Dollface had to do was set up her usual sniping nest on a fake crow's nest and deploy Izzy and Princess as ground support.

"Hands up."

Dollface squealed and nearly dropped the subconsciously death-gripped toy, surprised to hear Foxx's voice as she threw her hands up in a show of surrender.

She turned to see a red plastic toy gun aimed at her receiver vest.

He laughed. "Gotcha."

Annoyed, she fired at him, only for it to fail, as she was on the same team as him.

She turned the same color as the toy, flustered at the arena attendee she'd literally known since elementary school.

Missy squealed in exasperation as Princess fired and hit the queen bee wanna-be's vest.

Princess let out her usual flat bray of laughter.

"What are ya doin' here?" Dollface whisper-yelled up at him.

He was _sooooooo_ tall!

And wide!

"Got bored." He said with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Isn't it yer job to wait outside and make sure nothang gets broken?"

"Eh..." he waved his hand, indecisively, "I'm tired o'sittin' 'round. Wanted a hit or two, just fer fun. No one'll notice anyway. Besides, she tries to get me to put the vest on her every time. It's _WEIRD_!"

"Yeah, fair." Dollface muttered, glad it was too dark to see her ever reddening face.

The Merston High's football team was really doing him some good...

Ugh, later idiot.

_Pew_!

Foxx hit Missy, then fired at her stinky brother.

"Nice!" He pumped his fist.

"The base!" Dollface panicked a little, being reminded of the game's objective by a robotic voice that played whenever the colored disc of light was attacked.

That sneaky little creep that had been dragged in by Missy that had gone by mostly forgotten, was now _pew-pewing_ at the round light disc attached to the plywood 'base'.

Seriously, the little loser was even saying "pew pew" aloud.

Oof.

"I'll get 'em for ya." Foxx thundered down from the nest and lasered the kid in the receiver while using his size to distract from the task of attacking the base and it's lame automated voice.

The kid promptly backed away, seeing he was less than a third of Foxx's size.

Foxx looked up at Dollface's sniper nest, and made a quick salute with a goofy grin, and jogged out of the arena.

Dollface tried to wipe off her grin and blamed her fluttering chest on nerves, then hit Missy, watching Princess and Izzy ambush the two smaller children. Five bucks each well spent, especially after point-count.

Missy had tried to flash a perfect smile, the kind she used on other girl's boyfriends on Foxx, but it casually went unnoticed….

...Out of the arena and approaching the prize room, the group of girls stopped to stare at two men loitering outside of the vest area. One was fairly short and getting a bit plump around the middle, while the other was taller and had a full on beer belly swelling against his violet polo. He looked like a purple snake that had gotten into Izzy's little backyard hen house and eaten an egg.

In small town America, that was the average middle aged male body type and nothing to think too hard about.

Dollface watched them inspect a wall ornament of a red and green pepper and mushroom with pepperoni pizza and mutter to each other.

The smaller absently picked at a black olive.

"Maybe they're the new owners?" Dollface whispered to her friends.

Asking that simple question made her stomach knot up into a little cold ball of sadness and nostalgia.

As creepy as the animatronics here were, this was still their home.

She had to stop being childish, animatronics weren't alive!

They weren't real, no matter how much it seemed like it at times.

No matter how much she wished they would be.

The taller man in the purple shirt sniffed.

He pulled out a hankie, refusing the dirty oil stained shop rag from his companion's pocket with disgust. The man shrugged, and happily blew into the rag while the purple guy grimaced in clear disdain.

Dollface tried to place their faces, thinking them very familiar.

"They look kind of gross," muttered Princess, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Princess! Be nice!" Hissed Izzy.

Princess shrugged, not seeing the problem.

Dollface became very invested in her shoes again.

Something felt off about all of this. Maybe they were the new owners checking out the traffic and quality of the venue? If they were, it was like watching scavengers pick at a body on the side of the highway before it was fully dead.

"So how much longer do we have here, it's gettin' painful t'watch full grown men try t'figure out what a kiddie restaurant is." Izzy said, intruding on thoughts.

"Oh! Yeah, uhh," Dollface checked her watch, one of her older male cousin's hand-me-downs. She wished she could afford an armful of swatch watches, but everytime she got enough from work, something would come up.

"Maybe we could work here when it's reopened."

"That could be fun!" Izzy replied, shuffling her tokens with a shake of her cup.

"We have 'bout an hour or so left, so I say we go to th'arcade games and maybe see th'ventriloquist one last time and get a cheap prize 'r two."

"Yeah, okay!" Princess cheered, "Who wants to play Mortal Combat with me again?"

Dollface groaned. Princess was the top of the leaderboard on that machine, no one could defeat her.

But right now, they had no time left to worry about anything in the world.


	5. Old Town Road

Into the old rumbly truck with, one, two, three bikes in the back, with one, then two girls squished into the carriage.

A nice evening, all in all.

"Y'know, your mother disappeared a lot."

"Yes Grampa." Dollface stared out the window into the darkened town after her friends had been dropped off, voice deepening to its natural, flat pitch.

The lights flickered, and she swore she saw someone standing in a dim streetlight.

She brushed the lone figure off as a trick of the light and her numbingly tired brain. Princess and Izzy had been dropped off just moments ago at their respective homes, leaving Dollface with her grandfather in the truck with duct-taped upholstery.

Dollface sat next to her grandfather, a weathered man in his sixties, in the passenger seat, watching as he turned onto Old Town Road, well past home and meandering through the woods that surrounded them on one side, burning hot fields of corn and beans on the other.

"Hey, where we goin'?"

Grampa always did this when he needed to talk to his grandchild in private. Dollface shifted in the seat, picking at the tape by her thigh.

Was she supposed to do something today and forgot? Dollface immediately tried to remember her entire day and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Around this time, your mother disappeared."

"So?" Dollface asked. This information was nothing new. Mama had disappeared years ago in a far off December and came back with a near-strange's child growing inside her.

Silence.

Utter and total silence.

Dollface hated that sound.

She preferred the sounds of happy children and singing animals and the funny little air compressors controlling their every move and the clattering, clumsy joy of being there.

Dollface had never really seen her mother in person, never particularly wanted to, but Gramma made her keep a little picture of Marion Cowatch in her wallet.

Dollface didn't really look like her mother. Marion, the teen with long, silky blonde hair, and large, blue, borderline cartoon doe-eyes like sapphires set in a porcelain, oval face.

Blegch.

Dollface took after the mystery man that was her father.

Whoever that asshole could be.

While she had the fair skin and blonde hair of her under-aged mother, she possessed dark, almond eyes and a square face with a little dent in her chin.

Dollface often thought she was born with a man's face.

She also was only five feet tall, and comparing the notches on the kitchen wall and the only family portrait she could find in the cottage attic, '_Puck_' was nearly six feet tall, maybe even more.

Dollface wondered sometimes what her mother would look like if she was here now.

Maybe taller? But like, how?

Would she have cut her hair like Dollface?

Puck would be in her thirties now, as she had been just what, like, sixteen when Dollface had been born?

Marion had refused to state a father, making this whole ordeal more painful for Dollface's family. It never bothered Dollface much though. After a while, things just became your reality. The world went on, and there was no need to fuss.

"Your mother and- We just wanted to check in, that's all."

Dollface continued to watch out of the window into the partially wooded night. Grampa and Gramma sometimes forgot they weren't Dollface's parents. Hell, Dollface forgot for a very long time that she wasn't the Cowatch's direct descendant.

The small thought of what was happening outside of her little world passed through her head, but Dollface let this little wonder pass her by.

It didn't concern her.

"We don't want to take anything away, but we do just want you to start planning things out more, think of th'long term. No more gettin' up an' leavin' at whenever ya please t'play with friends. And maybe take school more seriously. Yer mother had her faults, but education wasn't one until the very end."

Dollface nodded. She understood and didn't find herself worrying much. She was a good girl, and always tried to tell her grandparents where she was and keep up. But with Missy pestering her, she couldn't even pull up the grades in what she was good at. Unlike most kids, Dollface had never hit that, 'I'm running away from home' phase.

Life just goes on no matter where you are. And so far, life was already moving on.

"And we're here." Grandpa rolled into the driveway of the little home. Dollface jumped out with the click of her buckle and a snap of the door. They must've looped around when she wasn't looking.

"Once you've finished your shower, get to bed _ASAP_, alright babe'gurl?"

"Yes sir!" She said vigorously. She must not have noticed the sparse streetlights appearing into her hazy view.

After her shower and a burst of minty freshness in her mouth, Dollface settled into bed for the night, dreams of flying filling her head to dissipate in the morning light.


	6. Space Case

Dollface stood at the dairy counter with the ice cream scoop, tired in her crisp white uniform.

Last night had been wonderful. The Jensons knew how to host a party!

Dolli Mae had been covered in gold and silver metals, never bronze, Southern accent on full tilt, bouncing from guest to guest as Princess held hands with Lily under a table and ate a slice of chocolate cake with her special friend.

And yes, Dollface knew.

She was just happy Princess had found someone so perfect for her.

And for some reason, she felt a mild envy for that, and she feared she was a freak for thinking of such unusual thoughts. Her grandmother would think her immoral, but Dollface could never understand why.

Oh, and best of all, Joey Drew himself had come on his way home from the studio in his ink stained clothing to show the ever tiny Dolli Mae the flip note animation he'd made of Bendy in a cowboy costume bobbing up and down with a pistol.

Dollface sniffed, back in the present.

She was currently in the only fully air conditioned building in town. All the other places in town had their windows wiiiiiiide open to combat the June heat.

Ting!

"Hello ma'am, may I take your order?"

A woman in black stood in the doorway, looking mildly out of touch in her long, black Victorian dress.

She'd probably be pretty hot and sweaty right now.

And would really need some ice cream right about now.

Dollface was surprised that there weren't any other customers today. Then again, the lake was farther out of town, and leaving your house now would result in a fleshy puddle on the sidewalk.

The mint tiles had just been wiped down by the owner just minutes before, and the lady, maybe in her thirties, brushed a finger on them with her free hand, other carrying a hefty book, rubbing her thumb and index together. She looked at her fingers in general disdain.

"Ma'am, may I please take your order?" She repeated. Dollface found this lady rather rude.

"Just looking."

Dollface watched the lady walk up and down the aisle. It's best not to make assumptions, Dollface decided, remembering her grandmother's teachings. Assumptions and words are more powerful than any weapon.

"Uh, this one?" The lady seemed mildly out of it as she pointed at the dairy-free peach sorbet.

"Ooh, that one's my favorite, good choice." Dollface smiled up at her from her side of the counter, her favorite because it was the only dairy-free option, "Cup or cone?"

See, not so bad!

"Small cup."

"Alright." She scooped out the size for the lady and plopped it into the paper cup, walking to the register. "Anything else ma'am?"

The blonde in black replied with a shake of her head.

"Two dollars please."

The lady patted herself down, then pulled out a wallet.

One that didn't need rubber bands to keep it together like everyone in the town's needed.

Dollface took the two dollars and passed the sorbet over. Their hands accidentally crossed paths, and the woman looked away, quickly grabbing a plastic spoon.

Dollface looked at the counter. This lady gave her the heebie-jeebies, but Gramma taught her to be polite.

She wondered what Thorne was doing.

Probably lifting stuff.

Thorne liked lifting stuff.

Especially when she lifted stuff with String Bean.

Wolfie was probably wandering around town like she usually did during the summertime.

And Princess was rehearsing by herself.

She liked to rehearse every morning in the small dance studio Raina, Mike's late wife used to help run. She sometimes came back after lunch to escape her mother's at home daycare service.

And Izzy?

Probably doing her mother's taxes.

Izzy was weird.

She liked to do people's taxes for fun.

Not much was really happening today for Dollface though.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip, zilch.

Zero.

Dollface set the scoop back into the ice bucket to clean and refreeze, then patted the cash counter in her mind-numbing boredom.

It was probably too hot to leave the house today. Instant sunburn, if ya catch my drift.

She watched the woman quickly eat out of the corner of her eye. The woman stared back.

The lady was probably some eccentric or whatever.

Dollface looked back fully, not hiding it.

Then she stood, feeling the world turn.

"Uh oh."

Faces swam into her vision.

"Uh oh."

A rotting rabbit.

"Uh oh."

The melted face of a dirty child killer.

"Uh oh."

Dimly aware of the blood dripping down her starched shirt, she stumbled to the door.

A man with an eye for a head.

Her blonde undercut bob people stared at became lank and loose as she stumbled out the door and into the midwestern heat, a brown face with golden eyes shimmering into sight.

"Uh oh."

A crescent head dripping with ink leered into her mind as the blood trickled down faster.

"Uh oh."

She fell to her permanently bruised knees, skirt pulling tight at her legs as her pantyhose ripped.

"Uh oh."

Dollface couldn't tell where she was anymore.

"Uh oh!"

And soon, she was back inside the building, sweat dripping down her neck from the horde of people purchasing ice cream in jeans and a Daisy's tie-dye tee-shirt.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Dollface looked up from the mint swirl.

"You have something on your face."


	7. Peaches and Cream

Dollface stood at the dairy counter with the ice cream scoop, bleary eyed in her crisp white uniform.

Last night had been wonderful. Dolli Mae had been covered in gold and silver metals, never bronze, Southern accent on full tilt, bouncing from guest to guest as Princess held hands with Lilly under a table and ate a slice of chocolate cake with her special friend.

And yes, Dollface knew.

She was just happy Princess had found someone so perfect for her.

Oh, and best of all, Joey Drew himself had come on his way home from the studio in his ink stained clothing to show the ever tiny Dolli Mae the flip note animation he'd made of Bendy in a cowboy costume bobbing up and down with a pistol.

Dollface sniffed, back in the present.

She was currently in the only fully air conditioned building in town. All the other places in town had their windows wiiiiiiide open to combat the June heat.

Ting!

"Hello ma'am, may I take your order?"

A woman in black stood in the doorway, looking mildly out of touch in her long, black Victorian dress. She'd probably be pretty hot and sweaty right now.

And would really need some ice cream right about now.

Dollface was surprised that there weren't any other customers today. Then again, the lake was farther out of town, and leaving your house now would result in a fleshy puddle on the sidewalk.

The mint tiles had just been wiped down by the owner just minutes before, and the lady, maybe in her thirties, brushed a finger on them with her free hand, other carrying a hefty book, rubbing her thumb and index together. She looked at her fingers in general disdain.

"Ma'am, may I _please_ take your order?" She repeated. Dollface found this lady rather rude.

"Just looking."

Dollface watched the lady walk up and down the aisle. It's best not to make assumptions, Dollface decided, remembering her grandmother's teachings. Assumptions and words are more powerful than any weapon.

"Uh, this one?" The lady seemed mildly out of it as she pointed at the dairy-free peach sorbet.

"Ooh, that one's my favorite, good choice." Dollface smiled up at her from her side of the counter. "Cup or cone?"

See, not so bad!

"Small cup."

"Okay." She scooped out the size for the lady and plopped it into the paper cup, walking to the register. "Anything else ma'am?"

The blonde in black replied with a shake of her head.

"Two dollars please."

The lady patted herself down, then pulled out a wallet.

One that didn't need rubber bands to keep it together like everyone in the town's needed.

Dollface took the two dollars and passed the sorbet over. Their hands accidentally crossed paths, and the woman looked away, quickly grabbing a plastic spoon.

Dollface looked at the counter. This lady gave her the heebie-jeebies, but Gramma taught her to be polite.

She wondered what Thorne was doing.

Probably lifting stuff.

Thorne liked lifting stuff.

Especially when she lifted stuff with String Bean.

Wolfie was probably hanging around town like she usually did during the summertime.

And Princess was rehearsing by herself.

She liked to rehearse every morning in the small dance studio Raina, Mike's late wife used to help run. She sometimes came back after lunch to escape her mother's at home daycare service.

And Izzy?

Probably her mother's taxes.

Izzy was weird.

She liked to do people's taxes for fun.

Not much was really happening today for Dollface though.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip, zilch.

Zero.

Dollface set the scoop back into the ice bucket to clean and refreeze, then patted the cash counter in her mind-numbing boredom.

It was probably too hot to leave the house today. Instant sunburn, if ya catch my drift.

She watched the woman quickly eat out of the corner of her eye. The woman stared back.

The lady was probably some eccentric or whatever.

Dollface looked back fully, not hiding it.

Then she stood, feeling the world turn.

"Uh oh."

Faces swam into her vision.

"Uh oh."

A rotting rabbit.

"Uh oh."

The melted face of a dirty child killer.

"Uh oh."

Dimly aware of the blood dripping down her starched shirt, she stumbled to the door.

A man with an eye for a head.

Her blonde undercut bob people stared at with the little white pillbox hat became lank and loose as she stumbled out the door and into the midwestern heat.

"Uh oh."

A crescent head dripping with ink leered into her mind as the blood trickled down faster.

"Uh oh."

She fell to her permanently bruised knees, skirt pulling tight at her legs.

"Uh oh."

Dollface couldn't tell where she was anymore.

"Uh oh!"

And soon, she was back inside the building, sweat dripping down her neck from the horde of people purchasing ice cream in jeans and a Daisy's tee-shirt.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Dollface looked up from the mint swirl.

"You have something on your face."


	8. Now Hiring

"Sir?"

Dollface trailed behind the man in the purple polo shirt. She'd figured out quickly that he was the amazing William Afton, one of the creators of Fazbear Entertainment.

He was her idol.

Just like Nolan Bushnell, the Atari employee who'd founded Pizza Time Theater was! She loved animatronics! She'd seen a special on them a couple years back on TV and was instantly mesmerized by the inner-workings of Disney's Undersea Voyage Serpent.

"Fine. Whaddya want?" He turned around with an annoyed glare. It quickly softened and he said, "Oh, it's you."

About time he turned around!

"Well um, sir..." Dollface twiddled her thumbs and tried not to stand on her tiptoes from nervousness. "My friends an' I were thinkin' maybe we could work here when it reopens next week."

He raised a bushy eyebrow and smiled. "Kid, how old are you?"

"F-fifteen. Most of m'friends are, too. Princess just turned sixteen if it helps." Dollface added without thought, "I'll be sixteen soon too!"

"Henry!" She jumped at William's sudden sharp yell.

The shorter man with his dopey gaze prairie dogged from behind a doorway. "Yes Will?"

"Get a couple job applications for the little lady here!"

"Yes sir!" Henry said with a goofy salute.

Dollface gasped. Henry Emily _AND_ William Afton?

Here?

In this town?

She felt like she'd just met Wilbur and Orville Wright!

They were the dynamic duo of animatronics!

These men were like Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney! The creators of _the _Charles Entertainment Cheese!

Henry handed Will the applications, then said, "Not sure about that fox thing. I think I could get it up to speed. Just need to retrofit most of the-"

Henry cut himself off, saying, "Hey wait, how'd she get in here?"

"Mike let me in." Dollface said, rocking on her heels and batting her eyes. Didn't everyone's cousin's uncles let them into restaurants?

Will and Henry looked at Mike, who smiled and finger waved at them condescendingly.

"I'm always leaving my stuff here, so he lets me in a lot." She rocked in heels, unable to hold still any longer, letting the extra energy out, "And since he's my friend String Bean's uncle, it's okay!"

Will glowered, then ran an extended finger over his neck in the universal sign of 'don't test me'.

Mike raised his blond eyebrows and waggled them over his watery blue eyes. He always had a secret mischief streak, and it was coming back out now that he was beginning to move on.

Dollface giggled. She'd missed that.

"Okay, just fill 'em out and give 'em to Jeremy, and thing's will set themselves out." Explained Henry who was pointing at the different lines, "This is just the basic stuff, put your-"

"Oh, we know how t'fill out applications!" Dollface said, grabbing the papers, "This'll be a secon' job fer most o'us."

Dollface smiled up at the two men, more than happy to start her new job as a member of the Fazbear Family. Henry picked his jaw up off the floor and smiled, waving as she skipped through the glass door.


	9. Oh No!

_Dollface had heard the screams from outside the arcade. She bolted, nearly trampling over a few small children with her heavy black boots as she passed the game columns. She neared the front lobby, recognizing the shrieking range of..._

Prissy Missy had opened her Daddy's overpriced car's trunk to put away her kid brother's new toys to discover a discolored face.

The face of a child.

Missing his brain from the cavity in his skull.

And full of what looked like holes.

Will, in a yellow rabbit costume pushed past the crowd and pulled off his skull-like mascot head.

Mike followed behind. "Okay everyone, clear out the area. Authorities are being called right now."

Dollface turned in her boots, watching Jeremy grab a phone behind him and the front counter he was manning and dial for 911.

"What?" Dollface couldn't tell what was happening anymore. She felt light-headed, not understanding what was happening and suddenly feeling light-headed.

She stumbled back inside.

Dollface had been hired about a week ago along with her friends to work as waitresses and do other odd jobs at Freddy's. She should have been more suspicious, as they'd basically filled out the paperwork and shown up. But at the time, and even now, their excitement had won out.

Or, at least, Dollface's.

Her friends hadn't been too keen on giving up summer yet, or splitting time helping at family businesses to deal with stranger's children.

But they'd come anyway.

Nothing better to do than escape to the Dairy Park Gas Station a block away and buy sodas or kick rocks near Joey Drew Studios.

"Guys?" Dollface shouted, her heart skipping a beat as she heard kids running around, completely oblivious to the outside world and the havoc being wrecked.

Freddy kept singing.

Bonnie played his guitar.

And Dollface's panic rose.

She felt sick.

"Everyone! Stay back, stay calm!" She could hear Mike outside but she felt like her head was underwater.

"Hello?" Dollface walked past the swarm of children shouting over Freddy Fazbear's band.

What a grand opening. "Hi?"

Into the prize corner with it's shelves full of toys and trinkets, a few of them Dollface had been eyeing for herself.

"Dollface? What's wrong?"Wolfie said from behind the prize counter next to the giant gift box as Dollface stumbled through. The face of Freddy printed on the black shirts all of her friends had to wear leered at Dollface as Wolfie approached her, leaving behind the counter full of furry faces and stitched smiles.

"_Something just came up."_


	10. Pointless Inturruptions

_Puck had been walking home from school when the future mother of Missy Custer threw a Mortimer McSnurd doll out of the window with a scream of "I wanted Charlie!"_

_It had, of course, hit Puck on the head as she walked home._

_It hurt._

_A lot, considering it was thrown out of an expensive car window by a much older girl._

_Missy's family had liked to live above their means, driving an expensive new car every year and buying the latest toys that almost always got destroyed a week after receiving while simultaneously living in a beaten air streamer._

_They liked to buy their status._

_Having been a wartime baby, Puck had taken it as a blessing._

_It wasn't everyday when a deluxe Funtom toy flew into your face and gave you a bloody nose, after all._

_She'd brought it home, cleaned it up, and played with it for a month._

_Then decided it was boring and left it somewhere._

_Her mother, a woman who'd survived as the wife of a U.S. Air Force Medic in WWII knew it would eventually become an important investment later, and stored it in the attic, where many, many years later, their granddaughter would find it and carry it with her everywhere, subsequently annoying anyone in earshot._

_The neighbor, an elderly Japanese man had managed to steal it while babysitting, and Gramma hid it somewhere in the attic._


	11. Below the Surface

They were hiding in the basement.

In a small town, something could easily go wrong and turn into a mob. That's what was happening to old man Kreuger just on the surface world.

Old man Kreuger lived under the bridge by the river with his grotesque nephew Jason and lived off of garbage and rats while ranting to himself.

His nephew was really big and really scary. Nobody was home, his head was forever vacant. The town doctor at a church banquet one Easter Sunday afternoon when Dollface was very little that Jason's head was full of water. Dollface, six at the time, was suddenly very scared that Jason's head would pop like a tick and leave water all over the place and that would be a real mess and it was generally pretty terrifying to think about.

It might happen to her, and because of that the very young Dollface who still had a messy mop of dirty blonde hair that leaned more on the brown side cut in a home done blunt bob by her Gramma began checking her head in the mirror for swelling.

Dollface gulped and Gramma held her tighter into her yellow apron, hearing the screams rise as an engine was gunned in the streets above.

Of course that's what'll happen when a little boy full of holes is found dead in the trunk of a car.

Old man Kreuger was an easy target to justify, and easily disposed of. He even had a record from before he decided not to take his meds. There had been a time when he worked at the town's only daycare as the gardener and occasional minder of the children before he was driven out of town when the parents found out what he did to their kids.

Those...

...Kids...

"He's escaping! That rat bastard's escaping!"

Dollface whimpered, hearing the sharpness of even the most muffled yells of an angry man outside. She recognized what little she could hear as Great Uncle Herman, a large man and the brother of her grandfather and her boss at Daisy's.

She never knew the overweight WW1 vet who gave neighborhood children fun-sized candy bars and always had bottles of water on his porch for any passersby could do something like this.

"Don't go upstairs yet." Gramma whispered shakily into Dollface's pierced ear. Dollface nodded with a gulp and a whimper, knowing better than to question. "What'ta 'bout t'tailor shop, Gramma?"

Gramma absently pushed her graying hair back into place, having gotten a smelly perm from Izzy's mama, the hairdresser, just a day or two before. Dollface wished Grampa would hurry up and just come home from the war in a distant country called Vee-it-nam already. He was too old to be a sergeant in a burning jungle.

"It's fine, we'll be fine. Just stay here for now."

Dollface didn't ask questions. She knew better than that.


	12. Promotional

There was a loud argument carrying on in Afton and Emily's office.

Dollface winced at a loud yell and the sound of something falling. Wolfie stared stone faced at the office door. The black shirt they had to wear everyday wore baggy on her, like loose flesh clinging to bone. Wofie's eyeliner was smudged. It always was, and always had been.

The girls couldn't tell what the argument was about, but from an estimated guess, it was about the boy in the trunk, now in the big city, getting ready for his final sleep.

"Okay girls!" Henry slammed the door open, startling all five of them. Dollface even squeaked.

"We have a new plan! And we will start with you girls!"

Izzy audibly gulped.

"C'mon in!"

Dolli Mae gave Henry 'the look'.

Henry gave 'the look' back to Dolli Mae.

With interest of 30%.

Princess pushed Dolli Mae, forcing her into the office. Princess couldn't stand tension, even for a few seconds. She HAD to know where something was going, and being patient wasn't her way of getting there.

"Hello girls." Afton sat behind his desk, sweating. It was covered in papers and documents, and the clunky computer's monitor was plastered with sticky notes. The entire room reeked of too much cologne. Dollface tried to look around the Macintosh at Afton's round face as he leaned back in the office chair. He pulled out a drawer from his cluttered desk and held up a drawing ripped from a journal.

"My eldest son's 'girlfriend' drew this the other day. I think you'd fit each role well." he slid the paper towards them, blank side up, letting the girls stew over the contents of the drawing.

Dollface, standing front and center, grabbed the picture and flipped it over to see the colored picture. Her friends huddled around her, wanting to see. Dollface blinked at the picture, not quite studying it.

"Okay, what do you want?" Princess clumsily asked from her place over Dollface's left shoulder.

"I want you to be the new face of Freddy Fazbear's." Afton beamed.

"Okay, I still have zero clue what you are saying here."

Dollface stared at the paper, recognizing her friends all lined up for costume concepts. She twisted and turned it in her little hands. She'd need another set of sketches to fully comprehend what was being asked of them. She'd drawn character concepts before, and whoever had done these needed to work a little harder. And draw a few more.

For all she knew, there were more, better detailed drawings hiding somewhere and she just didn't see them.

"What's that?" Izzy craned over Dollface's right shoulder.

Dollface grunted. "Ya think we should do it?"

"This ain't half bad. Are there any others?" Izzy asked.

"Why of course, my dear." Afton handed another set of papers to Izzy.

"Hey, Wolfie, think ya might like t'see this."

Wolfie looked up from her suspicious prowl of the small office. "Yeah?"

"What d'ya think o'this?"

Wolfie snatched the picture from Izzy's hand. "Yo Dolli."

Dolli stopped glaring at the beaming Afton suspiciously. Afton's politely terrifying smile never wavered.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" he asked.

"What exactly are ya sayin' here?" She asked Afton as he leaned forward in his chair.

"You girls can help us bring in customers. Mascots are nice, but having a real face and real people everyone knows can help this town become more adjusted."

"This is about the body, isn't it?" Princess asked.

"The body might've helped us with this decision, yes, but we were planning on this anyway." Afton stated, calmly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you ever heard of the 'uncanny valley'? This business is full of it!"

"What do you want us t'do?" Dollface asked, not even caring enough about the uncanny valley or whatever he was talking about.

"We want you to be The NEW Fazbear Band." Henry said as he opened the door with his foot, "We want you to memorize these tapes and help Maggie make your costumes over the next few weeks or so."

Henry dropped a box with a few scripts and a tape with what was assumed to contain showtapes.

Dollface took them from the box, placing the sketches on the desk next to a mechanical toy frog with glasses. "Thank ya sirs! We a'r'dy know how t'play music, so that'll be an easy task"

Afton smiled in delighted surprise.

Dollface beamed, turning to leave. They could do this! It would be a fun way to while away the summer until school started back up.

"Talk it over girls, it'll be a big commitment!" Afton said as they left the room, the door closing behind them. Then, he asked more privately to Henry, "You sure this is a good idea? Is our legal team okay with this? I don't want our girls to get hurt."


	13. Mall Rats

"Hold still, dammet!"

"Whaaaat?"

Maggie growled through her teeth at the tiny blonde menace bouncing around the store.

Dollface was sooooooo annoying!

Maggie had been trying to get her to stay still since they had piled into Henry's minivan, but the skinny little brat zoomed around the fabric store like a wind-up rat.

"Whaddya think o' this, Mags?" Dollface held up a bright blue jersey knit. "It also comes in purple if we wanna go that route."

Maggie stomped over in Doc Martin's that were maybe one size too big and stuffed with socks. She stared at it, rubbing the bolt of cloth between her fingers. "Not bad. Put the purple one in the cart."

"Girls, are we sure we're going to need all this?" Henry said, watching Dollface trot over and place the violet fabric on top of the yellow stretch and the brown corduroy.

"I wanna see all my options lined up." Maggie waved a hand. She'd need to redo her black dollar store manicure later.

Dollface whipped her hot pink head of hair over to a bolt of heavy red brocade. "Would this be good fer Dolli Mae's coat?"

"Oooh, perfect." Maggie pushed the girl away and lifted it up and placed it in the cart. The toddler, Charlotte burbled, and reached for the bolt from where she sat in the baby seat of the cart.

"No no sweetie, Aunt Mags needs this clean." Maggie cooed to Charlotte. Charlotte was adorable, and why anyone would try to get as far away from her as possible like Dollface had in the car was beyond her. Maggie was honored to be the babysitter of such a perfect child, regardless of the fact that she was trying to escape the endless noise of her mother's overstuffed trailer in LA.

"Hey Mags!"

Oooh, that was getting on Maggie's nerves. She couldn't stand being called Mags, especially by someone like Dollface.

"Don't call me that!" She snapped at the girl in the overall skirt with hearts and star shaped buttons sewn onto it sitting at the catalogue desk.

"Well, sorry." Dollface said with a shrug, "look what I found!"

Dollface pointed at a bodysuit in a catalogue. "Just like yer concepts for Wolfie. An' modest, too!"

How did she find that so fast? It would've taken Maggie forever to find that in such a big book. Dollface was already up and running over to the pattern racks and stating numbers aloud.

"3134... 3138, 3167, oh, here it is!" Dollface pulled out the pattern triumphantly.

"Is it the right sizing?" Maggie said, trying to keep her demeanor. She couldn't have some brat like Dollface ruining her chances of a career, so what if Maggie was only fourteen?

"Oh! You're right!" Dollface hunched back over and selected the correct sizing. Maggie tried not to take her glasses off to rub her eyes. Instead, she opted for running her fingers through her blonde curls that didn't like being tamed into cool scene girl haircuts like that Wolfie girl could. Maggie glanced to the Hot Topic she'd seen when entering the mall.

Oh, how she wished she'd worn her fishnets and MCR teeshirt today…

At least she had her red thong that she wished Vinnie would see when she hiked them over her hip-bones when she wore low waisted cut-offs.

Fuck it, just being noticed by Vinnie in general would've been good enogh for her.

"Oh! And here." Dollface shoved a pattern for different sleeves at Maggie. "Ya always need these!"

Maggie glared at Dollface's wide beaming face.

"OMG, can you not?" Maggie roughly snatched the envelopes from Dollface's hands.

"Hey, be nice." Henry said sternly from behind them. Maggie ignored him. She woke up with a headache, and she'd have one all the way home from the dying mall.

"Look, I have twelve little brothers and sisters back home in L.A. with no fathers in sight or a mother to pay attention to them for mre than five fucking minutes, I have Charlie to babysit, and Vinnie to watch."

"Vinnie's yer boyfriend, right?"

"No!" Maggie blushed and pushed Dollface. Dollface had absolutely NO boundaries! "I have a headache now, thanks."

"You don't know who your dad is too? Hey, maybe we're sisters! We even have the same hair color!" Dollface looked like she was going to explode from excitement.

"That can't be right! I was born in Cali, you're from the Midwest!"

"So?" Dollface curled a fresh pink lock around her finger. "Your Ma don't sound like th'most tasteful or discerning of women."

Maggie scowled.

Insufferable.

Maggie grabbed an armful of cloth. Dollface followed with hers.

"Okay, we'll need this." Maggie began stacking a few bolts of color in one stack. "These satins will make great accessory materials, so I'd say about a half yard each."

Dollface nodded vigorously.

"Cool it, your head will go flying." Maggie snorted with laughter at the speed of which Dollface attempted to sit still, "Okay, this'll be your vest, so two yards. You're small. And from her measurements, four yards of yellow for Izzalia."

"Izzy'll love it!"

Maggie swallowed down a growl, and an, 'I don't care'. She continued through, trying to ignore the comments of Dollface as Henry took careful note in his pocket sized notepad of the amounts needed of each.

Once at the counter, Maggie explained to the lady what fabrics were not necessary, and Henry explained the yardage. Dollface eyed Charlie uncomfortably.

"Guess it's back to the tailor shop girls."

"What? I haven't been here for months! Besides, I have an idea!" Dollface grabbed Maggie by the wrist and pulled her out of the storefront down the mallway. Past the tiny fountains at a dragging sprint and to...

"Hey! NO!" Maggie protested. As far as she was concerned, Hot Topic and Jo-Anne's were the only good places to go in a mall, definitely not...

"Girls, wait!" Henry tried to give chase, but was weighed down by the bags of cloth.

"Here!" Dollface pulled into the Party City.

"Noooo..." Maggie whined.

"Look Mags!" Next to a rack, Dollface clipped a tiny top hat into her hair. She looked onto the pink framed mirror, and giggled. "We could add some ribbon from Gramma's stash fer a hat band!"

Maggie stared fish eyed at how much stuff there was in this one aisle. Not even like, good stuff, just stuff.

She shifted in her black turtleneck. Fashion was more important than beating this miserably moist heat.

Dollface was already zooming past Maggie, hat on head. She knelt and waved a hand, signaling Maggie to join her on the floor.

"Look Mags! Fantasy stockin's in every color possible!" Dollface stood and reached after shoving the little nylon wrapped cardboard pieces into Maggie's face, pulling a yellow feather boa down from the shelf above. "We can chop this up too!"

Practically breaking into the fourth dimension from sheer exuberance, Dollface wrapped it around Maggie's neck. Before Maggie could say anything, the girl had gotten up and bounced to a wall display of headbands.

"Ooh, ooh! I have some dye at home fer these! Princess'll love 'em!" Dollface shoved a pair of white bunny ears in Maggie's face. She pushed them away in annoyance, trying not to drop the selected tights but failing anyway.

Dollface then ran past and into another section as Maggie hurried to pick up the packs of tights Scowling, Maggie chased after her. She couldn't lose Dollface, she was as bad as Vinnie on a good day.

"I can't stand you!" Maggie had finally cornered her. "Stay still for five minutes and stop acting like this!"

She ripped the yellow boa from her neck and threw them at her target. "I don't know WHAT you are on, but act your age!"

"So I should act more like you?"

Maggie grabbed Dollface by the shoulders. Oooh, if she could just...!

Dollface started to crumple, lip quivering like when Charlie wanted something really badly. She reached being her and grabbed a pair of heart shaped novelty sunglasses. She smiled widely.

Maggie resisted the urge to gag.

She let go.

Maggie was convinced.

There was no stopping Dollface.

Dollface was a force of nature.

It would be a long ride home, wouldn't it?

She snatched the glasses from Doll's square face, and placed the Sweet Lolita nightmare back to its proper place.

They brought the items up front, grabbing a white mask and an eyepatch on their way, showing them to Henry for approval, then checked out.

"I hope we aren't over spendin' sir."

"Ah, don't worry kiddo, it's a tax write off for me."

Dollface stared up at Henry in surprise.

"Yeah, filed as a business expense."

"Well, I have one last thang." Dollface said, "But I kin take care of it. I brought m'own money!"

"Oh no." Maggie stuttered.

"Don't worry! Only take a few minutes!" Dollface said, already grabbing Maggie's wrist.


	14. Clinique Counter

"Here?"

"Don't worry sir, I'll pay for the non-sample items." Dollface said. "Brought m'own money fer this! Remember?"

"Okay, I need to sit down anyway." Henry muttered.

"Yeah, me too." Maggie tried to follow him, but found herself dragged by the back of her collar to the Clinique counter.

"Free samples! Could be useful! Plus, y'all could use a proper color match! You look like a ghost!"

"I don't wear makeup!" Maggie protested, wearing too much eyeliner and white foundation from the Halloween store to give her a pallid, vampiric look. Jeez, for such a skinny fifteen year old, Dollface was surprisingly strong. Or maybe Maggie was just weaker than she thought?

"Yeah? Well I do."

And that was that.

Inside the Dillards', Dollface pulled the curvy Maggie to the counter.

The lady in the lab coat smiled widely from behind it. Maggie didn't trust that smile. It was the smile of someone who wanted to sell something to her, and she was not intrigued. She pouted her black lips.

"I need to buy more setting powder please." Dollface said with confidence. "Also, can you get her a color match too?"

"Why of course. What's your color sweetie?"

Dollface spat out a few numbers to the lady, smiles never wavering. Almost like they were trying to outdo each other, mused Maggie.

"Free samples?"

"Hell yeah!" Dollface practically shouted as she smacked her tiny fists on the counter.

"Please don't do that, sweetie." The lady pushed a divided bucket towards them. Then, she came out from behind the counter and led Maggie to a chair. Dollface thoroughly distracted by the tiny sample bucket, Maggie found herself being questioned about her skin, to which she could only reply with maybes and "What?"

"Have you ever actually worn any of this before?"

"Not for a long time, _bee_-yatch." Maggie wanted to jump down and push past the lab coat lady, but found that she couldn't get away.

Finally, after ten painfully long minutes, Maggie was handed a set of samples matched for her skin, and Dollface had her new bag of makeup.

"Maybe you can come by sometime and I'll show ya. Gramma and I a'ready have everyone sampled, so that ain't a problem."

Dollface skipped and hummed to a _Fall Out Boy_ song playing over the speakers as they approached Henry in the massage chair island in the middle of the walkway.

If Maggie had to say one nice thing about this brat, she did have good taste in music.


	15. Seamstress

"Aaaand we have a dress!"

"It's just the sleeves and bodice on the Chica dress." Maggie grumbled. Dollface and her incessant talking had made her slow down, meaning a dress that should've only taken a day to make was taking more than that.

Maggie wrestled with the sewing machine, still not sure how to use it but insisting she did.

"We have a start!" Dollface pulled at the poofy yellow sleeve on the dress form with Izzy's measurements placed into it. "And a start on one dress is better than nuthin'!"

Maggie brushed a hand against her work apron. Dollface had her own, one she'd made with Gramma so she could help at the shop. It was called 'Little Button, Big Heart' which meant it was embroidered on the apron's bib in hot pink letters.

"I can add the beading if you get started on the inset bib piece." Offered Dollface.

Maggie looked away.

Dollface was nerve wracking, seemingly able to pull supplies from thin air. Look, she even had a box of colored glass seed beads out and ready when Maggie hadn't been looking.

Maggie grabbed the white inset bib piece and layered it under the empty slot in the yellow fabric to cover the chest.

Perfect.

Modest.

Simple.

Showy.

And damn classy.

What made it great was that it was hers. She made them, she designed them, she'd modified the patterns.

Gritting her teeth, Maggie pinned the piece in place.

Dollface's grandmother was in the other room working on modifying wedding dresses for paying customers.

Dollface threaded the needle in one swipe and soon placed a tiny pink seed bead on the puff. Maggie sewed in the panel, rolling in the yellow to prevent fray, then picked up a microscopic brush to add in the tiniest colored dots onto the bib.

The two held their breath as the first colors were set down, then the next, then the final one. Then the words would have to be painted on next.

Maggie pursed her lips as she watched Dollface place a green bead. "Skirt."

"What?" Dollface looked up from the sleeve.

"Skirt." Maggie repeated.

"Do I need to bead it?"

"Well duh, yes." Maggie spat.

"Should I..."

"Not now stupid, it's not even attached yet." Snapped Maggie.

"But having a flat skirt finished first is easier tha-"

"Shut up, dumbass."

"I don't appreciate how you treat me, Margaret."

"What?" Maggie's voice cracked. She was the one being paid to do this. She didn't have to put up with this. Technically, Dollface didn't even have to help her, she'd just volunteered her workspace and time.

"I don't appreciate how you treat me, Margaret." Dollface repeated. No smile, just an even, smoldering glare. Maggie stepped away from the dress, feeling uneasy in the girl's blackened gaze.

"I don't like it. Watch your tone, or I'll take all the materials and pieces, and Gramma 'n I kin do it areselves." Maggie felt her perma-pout gape open like a fish, round blue eyes following Dollface as she circled around the dress stand and calmly approached her opponent. "Yer Mama clearly don' love ya, cause she never taught ya manners." Dollface's tone was even and calm. "There so much I 'kin say 'bout you, but Gramma taught me to be polite and never say when someone smells like a hippie's ashtray."

"Can it, skinny bitch!" Maggie flared at her. She didn't have to take this!

Dollface snapped the box of beads shut.

"Wait, don't!" Maggie lunged forward, realizing Dollface was being serious, "I really need this job!"

Dollface seemed to ignore her and grabbed the cut out pieces her grandmother had helped them with that morning and swiped them into a bag, placing the box of beads on top.

"Where are you going? This is your shop!" Maggie was practically begging on her knees. "Don't tell Henry! I _NEED_ to stay here in this town!"

"You called m'home town a dump less than an hour ago." No caring in her unusually deep and firm voice.

Dollface lifted the dress form and placed it in its corner.

"Please, I'll stop! I'll even let you teach me how to wear makeup like you do!" No stopping the eerily calm Dollface.

Dollface walked over to the corkboard on the wall and untacked the sketches, then pushed them into Maggie's hands. "Go home, Margaret. We don't want you here."

**Afterwards**

Dollface sat outside on the porch after a long day of sewing with Gramma.

She swung on the porch swing, watching Gramma knit.

"Why'd ya kick that girl out earlier, Babe'Gurl?"

"I was tired of bein' treated like an idiot." Dollface stared at her sketchbook, drawing what she remembered of Maggie's designs on her friends. Her dark, almond eyes darted across the paper, her chiseled face resting seriously.

"Good for you. Didn't like the lil brat anyway." Laughed Gramma. "You were just another rung up on th'ladder fer her."


	16. Teddy Bear Fears

Mike hadn't slept well last night. He collapsed into his bed, having downgraded everything after Raina's death. Mike shoulda just stayed home and taken a nap, but his new bosses told him to stay even in the empty building during the weekday.

Shoulda told Afton to go shove it up his ass and started packing like he started fantasizing after The Trypophobia Boy was found.

But, Mike needed the money because he wasn needed on the small county police force, and robots needed guarding even when no one was there. They were good for parts and metals.

Even in a town like this, someone could steal parts from some old clunker left on the side of the highway. They really needed to hire another guard, but the new bosses were cheap.

Mike had a feeling in his bones that rose from his stomach and into his chest, a feeling that something was off about that place. It felt feverish all week. Like something was breathing hot and humid in the heavy darkness.

Glad he'd managed to lose weight and mostly quit his comfort eating at the prodding of his sister-in-law, Mike rolled over in bed and stumbled to his feet and onto the bare wood floor.

Not bad for a fixer-upper.

Just like him.

The new face of Freddy Fazbear's huh? Well, good for them. Those girls were talented. The restaurant on Hurricane Boulevard was giving him vibes though. The kind Mike didn't like.

He had to be ready for tonight's shift, so he better rest up. Jeremy was probably at home by now, after his day of rest. Or maybe he was working at K-Mart, stealing from the register as usual.

Didn't know, didn't care.

That's what you get for pissing around and then dropping out of highschool, stoned out of your mind.

Jeremy was a good kid, just fell to the wayside of things like everyone else in this Godforsaken town.

If Mike couldn't relate, remembering his street whore aunt, the one who he' only seen once when he was very little and hadn't recognized her from any pictures on his mother's desk…

Whatever.

Jeremy was still a problem child, regardless. If he didn't have such a record, he could go into the army. Mike went into the 'Corps, helped clean him up...

He'd mostly fallen asleep while listening to Cecil, the man on the radio, and ended up having a dream when he was supposed to be monitoring a robot bear.

A dream he didn't like.

A nightmare that had left him uneasy, with the spectors' golden fur and face oozing sticky ink.

In self-defense, Mike had slammed a maglight into its hideous face, cringing at the delicate cracks from its thin, papery skull.

Remembering the moldy colors of its brilliant fur, Mike found himself unappetized for dinner and opted for a shower instead.

Mike and his brother's family found themselves relating to Dollface in a strange way, a small kitten to his large German Shepherd. And now he was worrying for her little band of Lost Girls. He shouldn't be, they weren't really his problems after hours. Then again, his niece was involved with them.

Mike would have to investigate during the next few nights. The little boy from the big city found in the trunk of a rich brat's car didn't deserve the death he was rewarded with. They called him 'The Trypophobia Boy' because every part of him had a bloody puncture wound as big around as a quarter and deep enough to have an exit wound on the other side. A sad, painful death by an unknown weapon.

Mike hated how pathetic it had been. The killer was a coward and he was determined to find it, police involvement or not.


	17. Rehearsals

"Okay girls! Let's go!" Afton clapped.

Dollface stood center stage.

She squinted at Afton in his cloud of cheap cologne. The smell had completely permeated his office and left a trail wherever he went, and it wafted even from here onto the stage. Dollface kicked her booted heel against the plywood floor to let out her usual burst of chaotic energy realizing that THIS is what Freddy Fazbear saw during the week. It was painfully lonely. It was good that he wasn't really alive, no matter how much she wished he was.

"Hey, careful. You only have one pair and I only got one stage." Afton chuckled. Dollface had found these white go-go boots in the back of her closet and immediately thought of the costumes that lay on hangers or on dress forms mostly unfinished. Dollface didn't remember buying these boots, but they fit and they were hers.

Probably a gift from Uncle Sebby.

Uncle Sebby was weird and showed up in a zippy black Italian car and took her to the city to buy 'nice' clothes every once in a while.

She usually sat silent and let him.

Princess strummed a chord on the red y-shaped guitar she'd gotten last summer for completing three years of lessons. She cringed at how loud it was and knelt to the amp by her feet. She was wearing dusty purple ankle boots with a wedge in them usually reserved for parties and school events, like dances.

Dollface looked at Izzy, playing with the white bass's thick strings nervously.

Izzy smiled at her, her hands empty of everything but a cupcake tambourine.

Princess continued to struggle with her amp system, not fully satisfied with the sounds it released.

"Any problems?" Henry wheeled an animatronic into view on his dolly cart, then casually leaned against it.

"No, no, just getting everything together." Dollface stalled for Princess. Dollface fidgeted with her bass,

"Y'know, we can't really have this at your first performance in about a week or so." Stated Afton, eyebrows raised.

"Don't worry, it'll be all polished up by next Friday." Dollface answered hopefully. C'mon Princess, it's getting weird now, especially after three weeks of practice!

"Okay!" Princess shouted, reshouldering the y-shaped six-stringer. "Ready!"

"Hey Freddy, do you know what time it is?" Izzy asked excitedly into the Mic in front of her, tambourine raised and ribbons fluttering. She sounded a little too excited about asking what time it was, but when working with kids, it was best to send as fake as a Barbie.

"Well I dunno, Chica, what time is it?"

"Do you guys know what time it is?" Princess yelled into the imaginary crowd, forcing her usually flat voice to conform to artificial cheer.

"That's riiiight!" Izzy sing-song sang.

"It's time to party!" Dollface finished.

They burst into the first song.

It was one of those terrible tunes like any other that played in children's venues, except for 1977 Chuck E. Cheese's. 1977 Pizza Time Theatre gave zero shits about what came out.

"Let's meet the members of the band." Started Dollface, she finished her line with, "My name is Freddy, I'm the leader of the band! Don't be shy, cause I'm a real fun guy!"

"My name is Bonnie, I am a big happy bunny and I play my guitar!" Princess picked up the melody.

"Take it away girl!" Dollface shouted, and Princess soon slammed on her guitar, giving way for Izzy's interjection.

"My name's Chica, I love to sing, just watch your pizza, cause I'm a bird who likes to eat!" Izzy's voice wavered on the last little line instead of going gravelly and comical.

Dollface winced. Maybe they could change Izzy's line?

"I'm the Puppet! I like to play games, I love to give prizes from inside my big blue box!" Wolfie shouted from her drum set in the back, barely heard. She needed her mic to be readjusted.

"Party break!" Izzy shouted with a twirl. It was obvious she was still very precocious to her lines.

"At Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, kids and adults play with you and me!"

Lame chorus quickly over, Dolli Mae spoke up.

"Finally, there's Foxy! That's me!" Dolli Mae sang from her keyboard. "I like to play in the cove and hunt fer treasure!"

"Now that you've met all the members of the band..." Dollface raised her voice over the music.

"Let's Eat!" They shouted in unison.

The five looked at Afton and Henry.

"Hey, not bad." Afton nodded. "It's getting along nicely. How's the skit portion going?"

"Um," Dollface began, "Izzy is a lil uncomfortable with'er lines an', uh..."

"What's wrong?" Afton's face wrinkled in concern.

"It's just that..." Izzy looked away, trailing off, unable to finish or speak her words. "I feel weird, like..."

"Oh, no, I understand." Afton said. "My wife has been struggling with that for years. But I think we can play it differently."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Well," Afton said, thinking. "Instead of being the fat friend, which you definitely aren't, you could be..."

"The athletic one?" Henry chimed in, brushing lint from his 'arm rest's' red fur.

"Yeah, the athletic one! You're always cheerleading so you need to load up." Afton smiled his signature forty-watt beam.

"Izzy, are you okay with that?" Dollface asked, tone soft. Izzy nodded, thick eyebrows relaxed, and brown fluffy hair bobbing along with her movements, side pony bouncing. Izzy's hair was so fluffy, and just as lively and as expressive as a whole other person!

"If y'all ever need it, I kin teach ya how." Dolli Mae said around a riff on her piano.

"Onto our next order of business then!" Henry said eyes searching Dolli Mae. "Keyboard ain't gonna cut it, sweetie."

"Aw, why not?" Dolli Mae looked upset. She gripped her used keyboard defensively.

"It's too bulky. Takes up too much stage." Henry said.

"We've only been on stage practicin' fer a few weeks now." Dolli Mae protested, "We haven't even started performin'!"

"He is right though," Afton said, "It's crowding Wolfie out. She needs the space, even if it isn't her full set."

"I don' got nutten else t'play!" Dolli Mae said, upset at the threat of being kicked out before anything could get fun.

"Don't worry kiddo, we have an idea." Henry said, looking at Afton. "You don't need to be so defensive."

"Go ahead and get it out." Afton nodded. Henry abandoned his robot and wandered to his in-house workshop behind a door marked "Parts and Service".

Some shuffling around, and less than a minute later, he came back in, having pulled out a funny looking red instrument.

"What's that?" Dolli Mae asked as Henry came to the stage. She walked over in her thigh-high brown boots. She knelt, grabbing it by the neck.

"It's a key-tar!" Henry said proudly. "Picked it up back in L.A. to mess around with. Take it home to play with."

Dolli Mae shouldered it, bewildered by its long row of ebony keys and white bars inset its strange red body.

"Think you can play it?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Might take some time t'get 'justed." She pressed a key.

"Plug it in!" Afton said, boyish excitement back in his voice. Henry grabbed an amp cord for the from where he was standing by the stage.

Dollface was curious to see one in real life. She'd only ever seen ones on the occasional MTV music video.

"And our third order." Afton said once Dolli Mae had plugged in the new toy, "Choreography. You look kinda empty up there. Work on the dead air elements a bit, and please, add something visual to the different sequences."

"What do we need to do then?" Princess asked.

"Up to you guys. Just keep it Fazbear Friendly. You have the next week to figure this out." Henry responded. "Now that that's settled, let the show go on!"


	18. Road Trip

Izzy watched Dollface bounce excitedly on the Cowatch family car's back seat. Izzy repositioned her blue skirt, feeling like a phoney wearing something so nice.

"Can I braid yer hair? Please please please!" Dollface begged.

"Yeah, okay." Izzy partially whispered, turning in her seat to let Dollface braid the cocoa waves. She could never understand where Dollface got her energy.

The beat up but well-cared for Ford used as the Cowatch family vehicle Izzy was in now was puttering down the highway to the state fair two towns over. The dents were from a previous accident caused by a bunch of burned-out hippies in their love machine T-Boning them. The van was crumpled, but the Cowatchs' came out mostly unharmed, but expenses said that the mostly cosmetic dents could wait.

Izzalia Deyhet.

Or, what most preferred, Izzy Dehyet.

Say it fast enough, and kids laughed at the macabre name paired with the soft round girl in loose, homemade clothes. When her mother had discovered her secretly vomiting dinner a few years back, things had to change.

And change they mostly did.

Meaning that the bedroom door lost it's lock and meals were better monitored, as well as a therapist in a big city was hired once a month.

It was humiliating, to say the least, but Izzy was gaining back the weight and hiding her sessions.

But right now, they were going to the State Fair.

Dollface had decided to make a day of it with her grandparents and invited Izzy, a five, pushing six year poultry competitor, with Dollface as a baking contestant, so it was just easier to carpool.

"What? What's wrong with this?" Izzy had tried to fight against Dollface's physical push when Dollface had seen the loose, flowy tie dyed dress Izzy had selected for herself.

"You look terrible. Like a cow in a circus dress. 'Sides, they don't let hippies in." Dollface had pushed Izzy into her cluttered room. "Especially since they protest th'war goin' on an'smoke grass!"

Izzy humphed and looked at her reflection.

She looked fat.

Like she always did.

"Got any jeans?" Dollface pulled open Izzy's chest of drawers, one after another. "We could match that way."

Finding no real jeans other than the barnyard/chores pants covered in mud, dirt and paint, or anything other than tie dyed everything, Dollface scampered over a pile of books to Izzy's closet. Izzy had, of course, protested this. No one could go into her closet.

No one.

"Izzy, you gotta problem. Ya only make clothin' fer yourself that destroys your shape. You're good at sewin', just tailor the finished projects more!" Dollface scolded Izzy. "Ah ha!" Dollface pulled out a powder blue dress from the very back of the closet. "Never seen this before, try it on!"

Izzy shifted nervously. Mom had bought it from a Sears' catalogue and insisted on getting it tailored up top and with a modest skirt for school. She'd worn it once in the mirror, feeling too weird to wear it outside the house. She could see how her waist dipped between her ribs and her hips and felt intensely uncomfortable in the mirror.

A perfect pear.

Izzy took it, trying not to make eye contact with it's soft muslin material and its little pearly white buttons. Dollface never gave eye contact anyway, so it didn't matter.

"Put it on!"

"Okay, just get out."

Dollface eyed her. "You're not gonna switch out, are ya?"

"No..." Izzy felt almost ashamed, having thought of doing that. Dollface knew too well what her friend felt the most comfortable in.

"Get'cha nylons too. Ya got nice legs, too."

"Okay..." Izzy watched Dollface exit her room. "Fine..." She sighed.

This was for her Bantams. They better appreciate all the work she was going to just to show up so they better have gotten blues and purples. She rummaged in a drawer, wishing she had Dollface's boudoir. It was soooo much better than her rickety dresser. Pulling out her beige nylons, she sighed, watching the ghostly thin pieces of inorganic stockings that maybe resembled legs rise and fall in the metal fan perched on her dresser.


	19. Weekend Excursion

"There you two are!" Mrs. Cowach said from her window of the car. "Gettin' worried there!"

Dollface smiled, taking the hand extending from the window and giving a quick squeeze, never a fan of physical contact. She opened the car door, revealing the empty back seat and inviting it to Izzy, who was studying Dollface's hot pink French Braid.

"Ladies first!" Dollface beamed, gesturing to the car seat that awaited Izzy's backside.

Izzy scooted to the far window and buckled up with the home installed belts, Dollface close behind and bouncing in her jeans and striped button up.

And of course, a little bit of powder.

It was a rare sight to see Dollface without powder, mascara, and some form of eyeshadow.

Usually in pink.

It was also unusual to see Dollface without her heavy black boots, but these days, showing any interest in a military career could get you mobbed by dirty young men with greasy beards and no aspirations and a hefty trust fund to support them.

"H-hi Mr. Cowach." Izzy greeted the man behind the wheel. "Didn't know ya'd still be here today."

"Getting redeployed next week." Mr. Cowach gripped the wheel, voice low. Izzy was scared to get him in trouble. First Korea, now Vietnam. She gulped….

….Back in the present, Izzy was enjoying having her tangles and curls braided down her back. Therapeutic, even. She could feel herself nod off. She had to wonder in her contented haze, did Dollface know?

Small town, small world.

Everyone knew everyone's business.

Mainly because everyone was related.

"And we're here!" Mrs. Cowach said from the front seat. She turned, looking at Izzy. "Sweetie, ya might need t'leave the roach band here."

"What?"

"Head band, Izzy, headband." Dollface murmured dryly.

"Oh, yeah." Izzy touched the braided leather cord across her forehead.

"You look like one of those damned..."

Mrs. Cowach placed a hand on her husband's arm. "Eustance, please."

He took a deep breath. "I'm not angry, Murial, just a lil upset."

Dollface stayed quiet, face dead sober.

That was another thing Izzy could never get used to.

Seeing Dollface's almond eyes unsmiling, face fallen, and features sharp, hair pulled away from her square face.

Izzy was almost envious. She always looked like she was going to burst into a smile even when she was bawling her eyes out.

Izzy pulled the band off her head, feeling a little guilty.

"Okay then!" Dollface brightened up, already opening the door. Everyone followed along, opening the doors and stepping out into the warm air of the midmorning festival of agricultural wonders.

"Y'all're old 'nough to go on yer own, meet us back at around eeeh..." Mr. Cowach checked his watch, "two? That a good time honey?" He looked down to his wife, a tiny woman by the name of Murial. She nodded.

Izzy's heart melted inside, seeing Murial's sweet demeanor compared to Eustace's much stiffer personality.

"Holler if ya need us."

Once they entered the fair, the group split up.

"Welcome t'th'1969 State Fair!" Izzy stared at the loudspeaker overhead, feeling almost like an alien compared to its tinny noise. The girls wandered past the small grandstand band playing Beatles covers.

"Never liked the Beatles. But ya know what I do like?" Dollface said, as they strolled by.

"No, what?" Izzy said, a little surprised. Who didn't like the Beetles?

"The Rolling Stones! Or the Monkees, I dunno!"

"You must have a crush on Davie Jones or something." Izzy said dryly, preferring The Mamas and the Papas.

"Finally! Someone low to the ground I can talk to without having to use smoke signals!"

They laughed.

Izzy felt comfortable again, even in this funny dress with three, four, five white buttons up the front with white accenting around the collar and her persnickety pantyhose that liked to cling a little too close for comfort.

Actually, she was feeling almost pretty today.

So why shouldn't Izzy match the confident smile on her friend's face? She just won five blue ribbons on her latest entries and couldn't be prouder of her giant Grand Champion ribbon won by a pretty little black Bantam named Scotty.


	20. Cowboy

Oh! Why did Prissy Missy Custer have to be there?!

Izzy ran down the paved walkways, past the tiny park and old brick buildings from State Fair's past. Away from the bandstand, past petting zoos, and cutting a detour through the mule barn away from the agricultural stands.

It started simple. It was around noon, Dollface was hungry, (like always) and Izzy tried not to be. (Like always.)

Dollface had pulled out her rubber banded wallet at the Pork Place, and ordered a pork burger for herself, and a pork hotdog for Izzy.

Izzy had taken it and followed Dollface to a long table set up in the crowded lunch hall. Fine, whatever. Lots of people, but that's fine.

Kinda loud too, but, yeah, okay.

She could've handled it fine if it weren't for that, that, that GIRL!

Izzy almost took a bite before...

"Oh look, the pig is committing cannibalism!" And a chorus of snorts and snuffles from Prissy Missy's posse of followers.

"Hi Missy!" Dollface jumped up and shouted estatically over the crowd milling about, making Izzy recoil, expecting a small, skinny Dollface to fall onto the table and into her lap. Missy ignored her cousin Dollface in her big, round sunglasses, ready to go in for her real kill. Izzy shamefully turned in her metal chair to face her fate.

"Whatcha doin' with my dress there, little piggy?" She rocked on her heels.

Of course.

Great.

Great.

GREAT.

Izzy felt her heart shaped face burn, seeing Missy in the same dress as her. But it looked like Missy never bothered to get it properly tailored like Izzy had.

Well, at least she had a leg up on something.

"Hey, Missy, that ain't very nice of you." Dollface piped, pushing her neon green sunglasses up her surprisingly big nose.

"Shut up, Space Cadet Cowach." Missy narrowed her eyes. She retrained her focus on Izzy as her posse leered at her, "You should take that off, it makes you look fat."

"Everything makes me look fat." Flopped out of Izzy's mouth.

"So you admit it, huh?" Muddy hazel eyes narrowed, Missy licked her thin lips. Izzy looked her up and down. Missy's dress may have been the same as Izzy's, but boy did it fit weirdly. It was much too loose.

Well, that's interesting.

Dollface shouted over the loud room at Missy.

Izzy's eyes stung. She couldn't take it. She fought back earlier in the month, but this just wasn't her day.

So she ran.

And now she was here.

In the dairy barn, near the ice cream factory, among the open air stalls full of cows.

She leaned against the wall, bent over and panting.

Jeez, she was out of it, and . Maybe she'd take Dolli Mae's offer to exercise more.

She rubbed her hand over her panting mouth and stared straight into the eyes of an angel...

...Okay, he wasn't an angel, per se, but the way the light hit his downy gold hair and the barn dust around him made a halo of dust that appeared to be gold particles. The hair that hadn't separated out in little downy flyaways fell around his face like a waterfall of silk. His watery blue eyes met Izzy's gaze.

"Shut yer trap, 'r t'flies'll get in."

Oops. Izzy snapped her jaw shut with an audible 'pop'.

A middle-aged farmer in a green shirt and khakis matching the boy steered a wheelbarrow of cow crap through the doorway and past her.

"Are ya lookin' fer somethin'?" The boy said, flooffing the very fluffy cow next to him in the open air stall.

Izzy didn't find words, so she opted for a shake of the head, suddenly feeling very self conscious of how she was standing. She straightened herself out.

"Then have a nice day then." He turned his green shirted back to her.

"Now why on earth are ya starin' at my son, lil lady?" The older farmer, a large, grisled man built like any other midwesterner over the age of fifty asked, louder than Izzy felt necessary. "It's leadin' day, let 'em add the last touches t'Bossy."

"Bossy?" She repeated over the fans.

"Bossy." He answered. "Now why ya starin' at my boy Ben?"

"Oh, I ain't starin' at Ben," she nervously rushed, "I-I just never seen a cow so fluffy!"

"Uh huh." He raised his brows. "Drowline. Jim Drowline."

She looked at the hand Jim offered and, remembering the wheelbarrow now sitting in a corner, pretended she didn't see it.

"Fair 'nough." Jim shrugged. "Hey Benji, give Bossy a break, will ya?"

Ben grunted, then turned to place the curry comb in a bucket.

"Hey, can I uh..." How does one ask permission to pet a cow? She knew how to ask to play with a chicken, but not a cow. Here goes then! "Pet 'er?"

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Go crazy."

She stepped forward, practically touching shoulders with him. Izzy tried to gulp down a squeak of excitement as she pressed a hand into Bossy's great big side. She lifted her hand, and let out a laugh as it left behind a perfect imprint.

She leaned against the cow in an almost-hug, really wanting to shove her face into Bossy's side, but that would be just plain weird at this point and might ruin Ben's hard work.

"Dad, stop starin' at me like that."

"Not doin' a thing Ben, not a thing."


	21. All is Fair

"Where ya from?"

"Clockton."

"Oh hey, I live a town over from ya." Izzy said.

Okay, so maaaayyyyybe she'd lied about being lost so she could ride the tractor tram back with Ben to Dollface. And then take a quick walk, stalling for more time to talk to him. He was so cute!

"I didn't think I'd be meetin' the chicken girl today." Ben said. Was it a flirt, or just stating the obvious to be nice? The State Fair did announce the winners of every category.

"Well, I didn't think I would be meetin' a champion cow groomer!" She responded with an unabashed smile.

Dollface was outside the Pork Place waiting, unusually colored hair seemingly cutting through the crowd like a day-glo pink knife.

"There you are! I had to give up our seats!" Dollface shouted as she handed Izzy the hotdog. Ben calmly trailed behind Izzy.

Izzy could see Missy, still watching like a hook-nosed hawk, ready to swoop in with a signature move and ruin Izzy's already slim chances.

"Hey, haven't seen you around before."

"I come every year." Ben said, not really noticing enough to care. "'Sides, Missy, your parents do our taxes."

"So other than goin' t'state fairs, what else do you do?" Missy blinked, saccharine smile trying not to falter.

"Groom cattle." Izzy sputtered out.

"What?" Missy asked, attention once again on Izzy. "Oh yeah! Makes sense! Crazy cow kid and her groomer!" Ben's hand shot out and grabbed the back of Missy's ill-fitting blouse. She squeaked, not used to more than an annoyed glance or in some cases mild interest.

"You shouldn't have done that." He narrowed his blue eyes, then roughly pushed her away like he would livestock.

Not used to a physical reaction, she scampered back to her little swarm of friends, then shouted, "He grabbed me!"

"Only cause y'all're bein' a brat!" Ben retorted.

"Yeah Missy, he barely touched you." Izzy said.

"'Sides ya kinda deserve it. Yer rude." Dollface finished. "Maybe you'd have actual friends if ya didn't pull this shit. Or gossip behind their backs all th'damn time."

Missy hissed and recoiled. Seeing she'd lost the battle and been dethroned amongst her friends again, she sauntered away without a word, friends not grouping around her as tightly as they usually would.

"Anywho, I'm gonna go back t'Bossy. Show starts soon." Ben turned in his barn boots to leave.

"Bye Ben!" Izzy said, feeling a little like she was being too loud again. He looked over his shoulder and waved a teeny bit, and smiled. Izzy mirrored it and waved back. The smile didn't leave until long afterwards, or when they piled into the car. In fact, she fell asleep after a long shower with it playing as genuinely as a diamond on her lips thinking, 'he smells like cows.'

She even ate her entire hotdog, and kept it down, feeling like her heart had melted into her shoes just a teeny, tiny bit.


	22. Embroidery Hoops

Izzy circled her new dress in the room above her mother's hair salon. It was bright yellow with sheer slimming panels in purple on the waist. She touched the bib and the colored glass set over the painted confetti pieces.

Dollface had obviously not approved of Maggie's work and placed beads all over the bib, sleeves, and even the top part of the skirt. She must've stayed up every night for a week just to bead Izzy's costume.

"Whaddya think?" Dollface asked. "I finished beadin' it last night."

"It's nice." Izzy looked at the tiny confetti dots painted then beaded over. "What do you need?"

"So, you're really good at embroidery, an' I was hopin' you could help me with th'patterns on Princess's costume and the words on yer dress."

Izzy's thick eyebrows knitted themselves together. Saturday, they'd been at the state fair. Now, it was Monday morning. She knew, because she'd looked at her mother's appointment calendar for today, June 30, 1987.

"Princess has an argyle pattern on her sweater. An' you have a few phrases here an' there." Dollface explained. "I can mark 'em out fer ya and help gettem on."

"Yeah, okay." Izzy nodded. She gulped down her discomfort at the thought of wearing this dress on stage.

Dollface wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. "We got this."

She dropped down, pen in hand. "This first one is gonna be across th'bottom." She placed a hoop and stretched the fabric. She neatly printed in block letters, 'Let's Rock!!!'.

"Start with this. It's yellow with a purple border." Dollface pushed Izzy's precious box of thread and needles to her feet. "I can do Princess's argyle sweater. There's another phrase you're also gonna have t'get on there."

Izzy selected a needle, then lifted a neon cord of yellow against the darker, more muted shade of the dress. She smiled in satisfaction, already seeing this fall into place. A simple silk stitch for the yellow would do nicely, and maybe chain stitch for the border.

Dollface stepped to the window. "Boy, it's stuffy in here."

She opened the window with a clatter. "Hey, where's your screen?"

"Broke off. Dad can't fix it yet, he's still in Michigan deliverin' fer _WalMart_." Izzy was always worried when Dad climbed into his truck and traveled across the country to deliver during the summer, taking her older brother with him.

"Hey Ben!" Izzy jumped at Dollface suddenly shouting in the calm silence. She stood, nearly running to the window next to Dollface. Could it really?

Yep, it was!

Coming out of Custer Accounting and Law on the building across the narrow street, was Ben and his dad. Dollface waved. Jim waved back, and Izzy felt Ben's gaze on her.

She hoped she didn't blush!

"Hey Ben did ya get a new haircut?" Dollface asked.

"No!" He shouted from across the street. Jim strolled to them leseurly. Ben followed behind.

"Coulda sworn he didn't have a mullet last Saturday..." Dollface muttered under her breath. Izzy rolled her eyes. Dollface could never remember details very well.

"What're you two girls doin' here?" Jim chuckled, now below them.

"Well, for one, I live here." Izzy shrugged, not sure what else to say. "What're you doin' here in town?"

"Accountin'."

"Hah, yeah, shoulda known." _You idiot Izzy! Get it together! _She tucked a brown curl behind her ear. Dollface nudged her and winked.

"Want us t'come down, or should we let ya continue on yer merry way?" Dollface asked.

"Well, I guess before we leave, the wife asked if y'all could come over for dinner. Is tonight good?"

"What?" Izzy knew the question was aimed at her without a doubt, but she needed to know for sure if they were even asking.

"Y'all wanna come over fer dinner this ev'nin'?" Jim repeated.

Izzy shifted, then replied, "I'll come down an' ask Ma."

The girls had barreled downstairs into the hair salon to meet Ben and his father, practically tripping over each other

"Play it cool!" Dollface whisper-shouted at Izzy. Izzy nodded stoically. She had to!

Once downstairs, Izzy crossed her arms over her chest, and tried to keep her eyes from wandering to Ben's oversized belt buckle.

Dollface, having grabbed a hoop and Princess's sweater, now stood and embroidered a blue diamond on the purple Jersey Knit. Izzy watched her closely, not sure where else to look.

Izzy's mother, a heavy set woman with curls and an apron, stood by the storefront window talking to Jim. Apparently, they knew each other.

He'd come into town with his wife once or twice a month for his book keeping, then waltz straight over to get his hair done by the barber next door to them. Since Ma was Ben's mother's stylist, they'd never put it together.

"Didn't realize th'daughter ya sometimes told Jen 'bout was the lil lady that came runnin' to our stall last week." Jim chuckled. "Didn't even realize she was th'girl with th'fancy chickens, either!"

"Well, yeah, Izzalia's like that." Ma said with a grin, eyeing Ben. "my brother Louie does a good job on you two." She looked over her shoulder. "Izzy!"

Izzy snapped her head towards her mother. Dollface continued to ignore her friend's inspective lean.

"Yeah Ma?"

"Y'all have my permission t'supper with th'Drowlines' tonight."


	23. Love and Accounting

Okay, so maybe she was hiding just a little.

Izzy sat on the floor cross legged in a hallway near the back of Ben's big ranch house. She pulled a pencil from her endless tangles and a calculator from her back pocket. She never left home without one!

The family dog, one Ben had dubbed 'Yardstick', sat beside her in that funny way a three-legged animal would. It wasn't Dollface's little brown lapdog Courage, named so because of the fear of his own farts, but a much more majestic breed.

No, Yardstick was a proud Shepherd with a sleek, bay and black coat.

Izzy typed in a set of numbers, then muttered, 'Hey, that ain't right!'

She scribbled something down in her notepad, then punched more numbers in. "That's funny."

"What's funny?"

Izzy jumped, forgetting she was in a near stranger's house, turned, saw Ben, then grabbed the ledger. "This is wrong."

He knelt down, leveling with her right beside his snuffling dog.

"You see, money is leaving, and not being properly replaced with each time period passed and your subsidies haven't been registered along with..." Izzy started. "I'm making no sense, am I?"

"I'm bad at math." Ben said, maybe trying to help. Yardstick snorted in his sleep. Ben patted his dog.

"Missy makes me do her homework a lot, and since she got into a bunch of programs at school, I ended up learning finances."

"You're kind of a pushover." When Ben said it, the words felt like a punch in the gut, and Izzy tried to hide it. Didn't work.

"Sorry." He said.

He moved over to the other side of the dog so he could pet Yardstick and comfortably talk to Izzy, eye-to-eye.

"Yeah, I guess so." Izzy said, feeling droopy.

"You have chickens, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, little Banties. We don't have much space so-" He raised a hand and Izzy's eagerness to talk about anything else was shot down, left for dead in the water.

"If you let 'em do whatever, what would happen?"

"They'd get really sick an' run away?" Izzy asked, suddenly confused as to where this conversation was going.

"Yep. T'put it blunt, they'd die." Ben said, looking less like a seventeen year old than usual. "If I let my cows boss me around, I'd be dead in th'dirt."

Izzy looked at all the numbers marching across the ledger. They were like a symphony in her head. An out of tune one, but one that could be improved. "Hey, hey, look at me."

Not hard in the slightest. "It's nice t'be nice, but standin' up more could even save a life."

The temptation to just reach out and just grab his light green shirt was strong now, but she stuffed it down deep inside, deciding to keep it that way; a fleeting and ultimately useless want.

"If Mom didn't throw Sally in th'pond with th'herd whenever she went too far, we'd be in a world o'hurt."

Izzy had to let out a giggle.

Sally, Ben's little sister in pink was cute, but bratty. The thought of Missy or Sally being tossed in a pond to the bewilderment of a dairy cow was funny in a dark sort of way.

"What I'm trying t'say though, is that you keep doing you, I'll keep doin' me, and Missy is her own problem." Ben concluded.

They smiled at each other.

"She went after my other friends too. Threatened one by saying she'd tell the entire school about... Nah, not gonna finish that sentence, but now everyone thinks Missy's the next Tesla." Izzy said. "So my friend started purposely putting answers wrong last year just so she could get her own history assignments done."

"See, your friend knows what she's doin'." Ben said. Yardstick snuffled in his sleep again.

"Actually, doin' these numbers, I think th'Custers have been embezzlin' y'all." Izzy said, tapping the pencil across her palm.

"Ya think so?"

"Yeah, I think they have been fer years now. Explains Missy's new BMW- she doesn't even have a permit and won't go near a tractor!" Izzy exclaimed. The more she thought about it, the more of the conspiracy seemed to unfold. "And the cruise they took last summer to the Bahamas she wouldn't shut up about for three months."

"Ya know what Izzy?" The boyishness in his face returned like crystal cool water in a dried up creek bed, "I think ya did somethin' better than sabotage her grades."

And that's when Izzy finally thought, 'Screw it!' and grabbed Ben's collar for a quick kiss before she had to get up and leave.


	24. Night One Shift

Izzy wasn't the only one who was good with books.

Except, Mike didn't have access to them. Some guy halfway across the country did.

Mike drummed his fingers, staring at the security monitor.

Midnight.

Since the body was discovered, he had been getting garbled phone calls from untraceable, unreachable numbers from somewhere in California, each rumble interlude with a tinkling music box.

The small police department couldn't help in any case, even after the calls were reported. Besides, the culprit of the body had been lynched and anyone who came forward as witness had been locked up. Why should they look further? Krueger did it, his records from when he worked at a daycare could even prove it.

But Mike smelled a rat. A big, dirty one that liked to serve sub par pizza to children.

And Mike was hired to protect those children.

His night shift was the only time he could snoop around in Afton and Emily's shared office.

He clicked.

Cam 1A, all clear.

Cam 1B, all clear.

And so on.

And so forth.

One room systematically checked after another. This part was boring and over in a few minutes.

Mike may be snooping, but he was still on the clock.

He pushed his rolling chair off the desk and stood, then pounded the light button by the door. Once seeing the light over the bullet-proof window light up and buzz artificially, he slapped the red door button, watching it slide down with a squeak and a 'BANG!' into place. Then, Mike pounded the buttons again, watching to make sure it was in proper order. He repeated once more on the other door.

Standard procedure and all. There could be an emergency, never knew what could go wrong. Once he was sure everything was to satisfaction, he waltzed on out, away from the buzzing fan on his battered desk.

And away from the light of the office and sure he was alone, he unhooked his maglight, and turned it on. It bathed the abandoned world of play in a milky, unnatural glow.Tiles reflected in the world of black and gray.

He whistled an old tune about bull riders and their girlfriends. Infinitely stretching black and white tiled floors endlessly leading him away from the small room, fading to black all around him.

He touched the wall plastered with children's drawings taken from locations in the big city and L.A. The company only had three locations so far, and they had oh-so many, many, many competitors.

Getting info on these guys was impossible though, and Mike just couldn't find decent documents inside the filing cabinet and the desks. The workshop was a no-go as well, yielding nothing but shelves of clacking heads. Sadly, they were the best, and generally only, places to look. It was almost like they were trying to hide something's tracks.

He rounded the corner, swatting away a buzzing fly.

Mike found himself by the stage, standing at the feet of the uncanny husks with empty, plastic eyes as flies hummed in the dark. Freddy's hulking form rose above him, and Mike, being nearly seven feet tall, was dwarfed by the elevated size of the bear and the chicken and the big, blue, bunny.

Feeling watched by something and smelling something vaguely sulfuric or like methane, he loosened his gaze, hoping to keep his distorted sense of reality.

Whump!

He'd walked too fast without looking in the dark and tripped on a chair leg from a nearby table. Muttering profanities, Mike tried to stand, then saw a door.

A tiny door. One he could barely squeeze himself through. But Mike forced it open and climbed inside.

It was a rat hole situation inside, probably meant for engineers like Henry for maintenance and the like. Mike could barely fit his shoulders through, and ended up sliding on his back, light aimed at the so-called 'ceiling'. It was laced with interconnecting and interlocked cylinders and wires like a curtain of sheet metal.

Noticing but not realizing the intricate set of wires and cylinders tangling across the platform above weren't connecting together at the very far right, he continued his shimmy, rolling into an army crawl.

He kept a metal note of the unusual disconnect and fell onto his back.

Maybe he could get Jeremy to help him.

Jeremy was short and skinny.

But Jeremy was probably asleep by now.

And could Jeremy REALLY be trusted?

Mike shook off the musings. Having a second person in the operation was a bad idea regardless of who they were. Best to go at it alone.

Taking note of what he saw and what made sense to him, like the small anomaly, Mike dragged himself by the elbows back out. Better check his monitors to clear the radar. Didn't want some small-town burglar to come in for parts only to find the fatass night watchman snooping around in the dark because of power cuts.

He shut the door with his foot and exited past the stage. Once in his office he sat, monitor checking interrupted by a loud ringing.

Annoyed, he put it on speaker.

"Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about."

What? Mike had worked here before it was an actual Freddy's!

He let the guy ramble on speaker, half listening and not caring, but not wanting the silence to be filled with the clicks and whirs of sleeping animatronics. After his obligatory liability speech, the recording on the phone changed, overly cheerful voice babbling ceaselessly. Mike hated it, but the sound of the man's voice annoying as it was, was better than just plain 'ol silence filed with electronic murmuring.

He checked the kitchen again as the phone guy yammered about singing terrible songs and not getting a bath and wait, hold it, free roam? At night? Mike knew his job, and the knew very well that animatronics couldn't 'free roam'

Nuh-uh, no way, no how!

They had to be hooked up to air compressors and wires and...

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

What was that noise?

And why was the man on the phone talking about a bite?

No, THE bite.

"...Surprising how someone could live without their frontal lobe, right?"

Mike stiffened, as he watched Bonnie, floppy purple ears and all, stagger around and bump clumsily into a table in the main party room.

What.

The.

Fuuuuuuuuuuu- Mike stared, eyes on the screen, mouse ready to click on the next screen. Animatronics couldn't do that!

A fly landed on Mike's hand. There were more in here than there used to be. He twitched, sending it on its way.

"Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, the first day should be a breeze! I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night." The phone guy hung up. Whatever this was, it definitely wasn't the work of Old Man Krueger and his retarded nephew Jason, this was something new.

Something big.

Something scary.

And something that had stolen a child's brain and left the rest in some rich asshole's trunk.

And Mike was the only person interested in learning the little boy's secret.

Mike clicked to the supply closet behind the stage. Bonnie stopped in the doorway, then turned, not finding what he seemed to be wanting.

What he was…

...searching for.

Mike clicked again. Bonnie staggered across the party room, and into the main west hall.

Oh no.

Bonnie leaned into a room nearby. Then his jouncing body perambulated into Mike's office.

Perambulate was the only way Mike could describe the movement at this exact moment.

Mike stared, wide eyed and mouth open as Bonnie juttered and leered through the left door. His red eyes trained on Mike, the robot's jaws slack in a wide, toothy smile.

Mike had found a study on the uncanny valley in Afton's office, and could make a good guess on why Dollface had been chosen for this weird assignment. And right now, with the uncanny valley standing right in front of him, moving when it shouldn't, Mike understood all too well why Emily's plans were being put into motion once a week.

It was like the big bunny had just achieved something and wanted to show it off to Mike like a little boy showing off a trout he'd caught to his father.

Mike wasn't sure what the robot wanted to show off, and before he could figure it out, Bonnie jerked through the door on the right.

Mike blinked, then snapped his jaws shut.

This was shaping up to be a very long night.


	25. Bunny Boy Blues

Where was everybody?

Bonnie was bored.

If no one was around, no one could listen to him. And pay attention to him.

Having been the kid in the back of the classroom, too painfully shy to even sneeze aloud, Bonnie wanted attention.

Badly.

What was the point of even being Bonnie the Bunny if no one was in the dark, empty building to listen to him? A party house should be full of people paying attention to him at ALL times. The night watchman was fun, having gotten a reaction from the overweight ex-cop when Bonnie had shown off.

The next night, he would graduate up to singing in the hallways. His friends didn't sing along, letting Bonnie get all the attention as his purple foam paws jerkily waved over the painted-on strings of his red guitar.

Just as it should be.


	26. Promotional Materials

"Ya finally gotta date and ya did his taxes?!" Dollface asked, exasperated.

Izzy nodded shyly.

"Izzy, how scandalous of you!"

Dollface wrapped her arms around Izzy's neck, unable to hold back her smile. Only Izzy could turn a date into an accounting session. To Izzy, taxes were as intimate as sharing a bed. Well, at least she got one good kiss out of him.

Waiting in the main lobby at the feet of the rainbow menagerie, Dollface, Izzy, Princess, Dolli Mae and Wolfie shuffled around the cloth covered tables, giggling in anticipation.

"Mr. Emily, when is Mr. Afton showing up?" Princess asked, pushing her pink glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Henry smiled down at her. "Soon."

Dollface tapped her foot, watching Vincent and Maggie play with Charlie. She absently swatted a few flies from her face.

"Where's Mrs. Emily?" Princess asked.

Henry smiled sadly at Princess. "Charlie had a twin. One day, the twin disappeared, and soon after, my wife went with him."

"Oh." Princess said, not sure what else to say. She shifted the crown in her blue hair.

Dollface stared at dead eyed Mike. He smiled limply at her, letting it fall from his face. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

The lobby door opened, and a giant yellow rabbit stepped in, did a small, jovial dance, twirled, then bowed deeply.

"Hey Papi!" Vinnie leaped from his spot on the bench and bounded to the rabbit. The rabbit ruffled his yellow costume paw in Vinnie's wavey black locks. Maggie stayed where she'd been sitting, mouth open. A look of rejection briefly crossed her face then was pushed away with her usual bitchy glare.

"Yooooooooooo." Wolfie breathed, "I think I just found my new hobby." She brushed her featherey side-swept bangs from her pale face.

"Weirdo." Dollface muttered, trying to bite back a laugh.

"Hey kids! Follow me." The rabbit waved his paw as he turned on his goofy gold heels. The girls fell into line, Henry and his found family following behind as they were led to the cars.

The rabbit pulled off his head, revealing the smiling face of William Afton beneath. He pulled off the mascot torso and then the sleeves piling them on the van's roof.

"Maggie, Vinnie, you're riding with me." He pulled open the back door of one of the gray S.U.V.s, a carseat for Charlie waiting like a padded pink throne.

"And the rest of you are coming with me!" Henry said, carrying Charlie to Afton in his bunny pants held up by purple suspenders. Afton took Charlie and smiled at her.

"Does everyone have their costumes?" Afton said, using his free hand to open the co-pilot door. "Vincenté, wanna navigate?"

"Sure." Vinnie, like any other sixteen year old trying to play casual, jumped into the seat. Dollface could see Maggie's thin shoulders droop a little. Maggie was practically adopted into the Emily family, and Dollface knew Maggie liked her best friend from the Afton family. Vinnie was very clearly not blood related to Afton, but h his father's purely magnetic aura had rubbed off on him, and Maggie had been hooked.

Dollface piled into the car with her friends, sitting next to Dolli Mae, the smallest girl in the group, standing at four foot seven.

"Everyone in?" Henry asked from the front seat, Wolfie next to him.

"Yep! All clear!" Dollface replied.

"Let's roll!"


	27. Meet the Band

"Like this?" Izzy asked. William shook his head, bunny ears swinging comically.

"Lean forward a little more." Henry said over his camera.

Izzy fell farther to the side of the car.

"Am I okay?" Dollface asked near the trunk of the muscle car.

Henry scrunched his face up as Maggie shook her head.

William scooped the girl up with a shout and placed her on top of the car, posing her like a doll. Dollface froze, stiff, then immediately knew what to do and crossed her legs, blue knees showing below her brown hem. She tugged on it, but gave up, realizing that had been part of Maggie's plan. Dollface adjusted her black bowtie instead, fidgety and watching William move away from her line of sight.

"Y'all sure I look okay here?" Dolli Mae asked from the driver's seat of the car painted to look like a pepperoni pizza.

"You look great!" Vinnie shouted.

"Ya really think so?" Dolli Mae said, watching Maggie's sour expression increase in lemon power. Dolli Mae blushed as her eyes met Vinnie's sunlit brown eyes. His eyes looked like sockets full of liquid gold when the sun hit them just right.

"Yeah, of course you do!" Vinnie flashed a smile.

Maggie huffed and stomped over to Dolli Mae, and repositioned the tricorn hat and adjusted the fake hook. She stepped back, then flicked the Party City eyepatch over a gold shadowed eye. Dolli Mae accepted this treatment, seeing no going back, especially since her weekly ice cream date with Vinnie had been crashed the other day by Maggie.

"Princess," barked Maggie, "Stand next to Wolfie!"

Princess glared, then waltzed to Wolfie, pulling the sweater down and touching the red tie around her throat, enamored by the red beads on her puffy white sleeves. Maggie got too close to her and posed the purple ears perched in Princess's blue hair.

Princess growled at her, then slapped Maggie's hand away.

"Use the guitar as an armrest, okay sweetie?" Henry said, oblivious to the tension.

Wolfie pulled at the full length bodysuit with white stripes, hoping to God her parents never found out about this costume. She stomped her stiletto boots on the stained asphalt of the big city Fazbear's. They still thought she was going to be a waitress in a fluffy dress.

She was surprisingly good at lying to her parents, but then again, that's what happened when you were always over your child's shoulder.

"And smile!" Vinnie shouted, his costumed father laid out 'seductively' in front of the group of posing girls.

They soon finished the car shots, and headed inside the empty Big City pizzeria for character poses.


	28. Writing on the Walls

"Jeremy, what are ya doin'?"

Jeremy stared at the wall and uttered to himself, "Woah, dude, like, woah….."

He'd been staring at that section of tile for three hours now. Mike grabbed his shoulder and shook him a little.

"My man, can'tcha see it?" Jeremy drawled, mop limply in his hands. Was he seriously watching the flies land and rub their legs again?

"Jeremy, are you high at work _again_?" Mike asked gruffly. If he was, Mike would toss the kid out the back door, just like when he'd discovered Jeremy's stash of home dried weed already separated into nickel baggies for selling purposes under the prize counter. It was also mingled in with small bags of white powder. Mike had let him off after making sure Jeremy got rid of it.

Mike was getting soft again. He needed to give Jeremy a harder time, but between his sympathy and growing laziness, Mike was letting Jeremy wander more and more.

"Nah man, I listened to your advice. Like, I stopped hittin' up at work and started, like, goin' to night school. You says it turns peeps into animals and said ya like, cared about me, man."

Mike muttered an, "_Oh my gawd_" under his breath as he batted at yet another fly, hoping grotty little Jeremy couldn't hear and said aloud "Outside, now."

"No dude, can't you see it?" Jeremy was super glued to the spot as he pointed at where the wall became the ceiling.

"No Jeremy, I can't see it. Now outside before I call the cops." Shit like what Jeremy stuffed into his long-suffering body lingered for weeks. How the hell did Jeremy keep his three jobs and shit-bum apartment?

"Jeremy, out."

"Okay dude, just like, be careful, okay?" Jeremy walked out of the room in an unusually straight line, scratching his greasy brown hair with dirty nails.

Jeremy never walked straight.

He couldn't.

Mike looked at the checkered wall and shivered. Another creepy piece to this puzzle. If he stared at it, long enough, he thought, maybe something would appear. A fly landed on the wall and rubbed its front feet together, twitching and buzzing.

Could there really be something there?

Mike shot the idea down. It was just too ridiculous. Why would anything be there at all?

He walked back to his usual place, not noticing the blood dripping to the floor in warm, sticky splats.

_It's me._


	29. F L O A T

Dollface grabbed her bike and rolled downtown on her pale blue steed in the early morning a few days after taking pictures in the Big City. Tomorrow would be the grand reopening of Freddy's. Things were going according to plan on this fine, early July day.

A large hover vehicle roared overhead. Hover vehicles did that a lot. They never stopped by town or dropped in for too long. They just delivered anything that was needed, and left.

Dollface dreamed of that day when the colony she lived in would be explored more by the other planets. Mr. Afton did too, even claiming that his restaurant and the nearby river access would help turn the town into a resort for the moderately wealthy. Maybe even a small time villain! Oh, that would help pay for new roads, sidewalks, and a new hardware Store for Haddonfield Hank!

Or, at least for the Zbornak miners and cargo pilots that would often come along might be more generous.

Henry, on the other hand, seemed like he just wanted to leave once the restaurant took off. Oh well, small colonies weren't for everyone!

Today, Dollface was going to visit Thorne and String Bean. That was always fun. Thorne liked to hang out in her room with String Bean, floating in artificial zero gee listening to loud classical music. Wherever Thorne was String Bean wasn't too far from either. Wherever String Bean was, Thorne was following behind.

"Knock knock!"

"Hello Dollface!" Thorne's mother opened the wide, green door, holding the family dog back by the collar. Dollface quickly stepped in, letting big ol' Bailey sniff her down.

"Hi Mrs. Barkey!" Dollface greeted. "May I see Thorne today?"

"Yes, we were expectin' you!" Mrs. Barkey was always so nice. "You know where she is!"

Dollface thundered up the stairs to Thorne's room, already feeling the effects of zero gee and the pulsing bass surround her. She pulled the door open, being snatched away from the floor below her and to String Bean with the wails of a sick guitar riff.

"Alright alright!" Dollface yelled along to the music. "Alright alright!"

String Bean grabbed Dollface's miniature hands in her large, rough ones, short, champagne blonde hair floating around her face like a tesla halo. "Alright alright, it's a hell of a feelin' though, it's one hell of a feelin' though!"

The drums hit them, filling their chests like air and tossing them around.

Dollface glanced at Thorne, laying mid air on her stomach contentedly, drawing on an easel mounted to the wall.

She smiled.

Thorne didn't always get to do that.

Yelling the lyrics to the music from a bygone planet from long gone days and long dead people, String Bean and Dollface leaped and shimmied around in the open air. The song finally ended after a yell of "Don't threaten me with a good time!"

Thorne reached over to her built-in-to-the-wall stereo, and snapped a less exciting song in, turning the knob down.

Dollface doggy paddled to her.

Thorne had as usual, perfectly parted hair and placed them in perfectly even, perfectly spaced twin buns to look like the pretty girls in the ancient books full of stories from a country named 'Ja-pan' on the planet called Earth. The black and white pictures were plastered on the walls of the room where there was room for them.

Thorne really liked order and calmness. She was the girl people came to when they needed to talk or a quiet place to sit. It seemed String Bean wanted it the most out of everyone, practically glued to her best friend's side.

"Thorne, do you ever wish you could go to space?" Dollface asked over the hourglass shaped girl's shoulder. She nodded, painting out each star in the far-off Milky Way with a special purpose. Thorne believed every star had a special purpose.

She looked at the reference photo next to the painting. It was a generic stock photo of a black hole taken several thousand years ago on the original colonizer's trip across the universe.

"I wonder what's on the other side of this galaxy. Grampa sometimes leaves for Space Marine Reserve Duties." Dollface said, starting to float away again. She attempted to right herself, then gave up and rolled over on her back, arms behind her head in a leisurely pose, "He said he might take me someday."

"I don't wanna leave." String Bean said firmly, "I like it here."

"Ya sure, babe's?" Thorne asked. "Could be fun."

String Bean draped an arm around Thorne's shoulder. "I might do it fer a Scooby snack."

Dollface snickered at the classic media reference.

They soon started dancing and singing, and drawing, and laughing again like usual. It hurt, seeing that a barrier between her and her friends was starting to grow over the past few weeks, becoming more obvious as rehearsals continued.

Dollface was glad her Daisy's shirt was tucked in and ready to go so she could leave after lunch to go to work. And after that, the final rehearsal before tonight's showing.

Dollface sighed in the stolen moment, feeling like everything had changed, and that it would only change more from now on.


	30. Hey Mickey!

The day had been a success. Dollface stood behind the stage, having served pizza to children while listening to the animatronics singing tinnily in the background. Afton and Henry were wheeling the candy-coated animals away and setting the stage for the new Fazbear band.

Tonight was a screening night, so families from the Big Cities had arrived and were sitting in the audience, pens in hand and surveys ready.

After sitting down on the employee bathroom floor and taking a few breaths as her friends chatted around her. Dollface put on her makeup, bright blue eyeshadow and red lips with too much eyeliner and calmed herself, taking things slow and hyping up for tonight's performance.

Tonight would be the group testing night. Families from the Big Cities were coming down to watch and fill out a survey and the outcome of the Fazbear Girls' run as performers was in the audience's hands.

Walking single-file down the hall, giggling and bouncing and nervously ticking, the new faces of Freddy Fazbear's approached the prepared stage.

Dollface stepped onto the stage, the house lights dimmed for the band's grand entrance. She looked to Princess on her left in the semi-darkness. Princess nodded at her, bunny ears bobbing and pigtails swinging.

"Günter gleiben gluaten globen!" She shouted, silencing the crowd as Wolfie hit the cowbell and Princess riffed on her red y-shaped guitar.

"Yeah, alright! I got somethin' t'say!" Dollface said, hitting the opening note on her bass, "It's better t'burn out, than t'fade away!"

Izzy joined her as the lights came up, revealing them in their full, sparkly, swirly, dancing full glory.

They stalked, they strutted. It was just plain amazing to watch. No one really cared that the night's performers were fifteen year old girls in short skirts, they just wanted the music.

The lights.

And a show.

"Okay, so here at Freddy's, we love birthdays, isn't that right, Chica?" Freddy, the girl center-stage with a tiny top hat and a brown corduroy vest shouted into the audience.

"Oh yes we do!" Chica, the girl in a yellow swing dress with sheer purple side panels exclaimed, "Don't we just love parties, Bonnie?"

Bonnie, the girl with the slightly too tight purple sweater and bunny ears with a plastic crown replied with a guitar solo and a flat, "Oh yeah we do! How about you, Foxy?"

"Aye, birthday parties are me favorite!" Foxy fluffed her long red coat and flipped up her eye patch with her gleaming plastic hook, then stomped her brown booted legs. "What do yee think, Marionette?"

"Parties are always pretty fun, I'm always up for one!" The girl in the black one piece with white stripes played a rim shot on her drum set. "What do you think, Freddy?"

"Oh yeah, parties are th'best. Especially birthday parties." She ruffled her pink hair, then said, "Is there a Mickey in the house?" A very small man with an eyeball for a head was tossed onto the stage. Looks like a local villain had let his troops out for the evening.

"Okay Mickey, how drunk are you?" She asked, eyeing the beer stand in the back, well past the stage lights.

"I just got here." Mickey looked like he wanted to run to the bar in the back, the one run by the two headed man named Kevin.

"So, not too drunk fer this?" Freddy asked playfully, twirling a lock around her finger. Mickey shrugged.

"We're gonna play a game. Let's see how long you can last against our drummer."

The Marionette rumbled her snare in a challenging way. Mickey looked mildly anxious, intimidation working well.

"Okay, so we're going to do this. Chica, can you help me?" Chica sauntered over to Freddy and Mickey with her cupcake tambourine.

Mickey stared at the cupcake's empty, vacant eyes as it rattled at him.

"Okay, so, this is the rhythm." Chica stomped her heeled feet on the wooden stage. _Boom, snap boom, boom clap!_

"You try!"

Mickey attempted at Chica's prodding, and after a few clumsy back and forths, he had the rhythm down.

"Okay, let's do this!" The Marionette chased the rhythm into the audience by suspensefully rolling her snare.

"Oh Mickey you so fine! You so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey! Hey Mickey! Oh Mickey you so fine! You so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!" Foxy played a stacked chord progression on her keytar as the girls chanted over and over, inviting the audience to join in. "Oh Mickey you so fine! You so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey! Hey Mickey! Oh Mickey you so fine! You so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey! Hey Mickey!"

They burst into a bubbly song, and after a few more rounds of chanting and stomping, Mickey the watchdog was let to go back to his seat.

"Happy Birthday Mickey!" The girls chorused and giggled as he dizzily rejoined his friends. Dollface squinted through the haze of stage lights and tried to find children.

Strange, there were only a few families, the rest were adults, mostly men.

Now why would Afton need a bunch of presumably childless young men to fill out a survey?


	31. Where the Freaks at?

String Bean took a deep, shaking breath.

It was almost time for String Bean to march onto the stage in a red and blue striped crop top and high waisted distressed shorts and play her part. She clicked her sparkly Mary Jane pumps at the heels, staring at the white lace socks on her big feet.

Thorne placed her head on String Bean's shoulder, adjusting the suspenders placed upon them. "You'll do fine. Play like nobody's watchin'."

String Bean nodded, unusually quiet. She lifted the trombone into the air, and slid the valve as one last silent practice to herself.

"Tell me, tell me, where th'freaks at?" She could hear Dolli Mae singing loudly over the rave music.

Thorne gave her a reassuring squeeze, "You're on."

String Bean marched onto the stage as Dolli Mae shouted her last command. "Balloon Babe play your trumpet, let the people go berserk!"

String Bean raised the instrument to her vibrating lips and blew in the sudden silence of the house.

The crowd went wild as she danced with the instrument, repeating lines, daring people to dance along. The bass drum hit a marching step and the rest of the band kicked in, leaving String Bean to continue her riffs and her seconds of fame to be buried and then remembered tomorrow. All in all, she was glad that this would be her only performance, this was too much for her.


	32. Chicken in the Kitchen

Chica shoved the rack of pizza pans and plastic cups onto the floor with a loud, tinny laugh.

She was Chica the chicken, no one could tell her what to do now. Being the little girl who had to be pretty and poised and listen to every adult she met, Chica kicked the fallen rack and then moved her segmented body in order to make a sound reminiscent of a fart.

Her mother would've slapped her upside the head and wildly spray perfume if she did that in public.

Because girls didn't do that.

At least, not good little girls who were going to marry a rich doctor or lawyer one day like expected even though Chica wasn't supposed to know that.

But what was the point of going to a party if you couldn't get dirty or eat pizza? Mommy would've said she'd get her skirt dirty or her stockings ripped, and that wasn't very ladylike, now was it?

She reached up and ripped the camera from the ceiling, and shoved it into her fluorescent orange beak with a loud '_CRUNCH_!'

Chica made a sound reminiscent to that of a loud, raunchy man-burp and laughed raucously.

"Why so blue, you know I'll be true, because I'll never leave you!"

Oooh, Bonnie was so annoying! Chica grabbed a pizza tray and walked out the door marked 'Employees Only', and slammed it into his big, blue face.

"Hey, I was singing!" He shouted, then lunged at her in a way that animals of metal and plastic shouldn't be able to. Chica giggled and side stepped him, making a fart noise as he toppled over, guitar and all. He growled with static, and pulled her down to the tiles with him, and then punched her, cracking her lower jaw off. Chica immediately stopped laughing and ripped his ear off.

And that's why Henry had to make emergency repairs the next morning with William as his loyal assistant.


	33. Creep

"Hello, hello! Hey, you're doing great!" Another call. Mike glowered at the screen, half-listening to the man on the phone.

Foxy was moving and Chica was destroying the kitchen again. Don't even get started on Bonnie!

Once again, not normal.

What made it even weirder was how he would peek at the camera, ugly rubber snout poking from the curtains. Mike looked away for fear of losing power like the man on the phone had warned weeks ago.

Didn't know what would happen, but personally, Mike didn't want to find out.

..._dee dum dum diddly diddly doo..._

Animatronics couldn't talk unless hooked into a showtape that ran their every move, and yet the distant sound of Foxy's voice leaked through the monitors.

_Thump Thump thump thump thump thump!_

Animatronics can't run, either.

In an automatic reflex, Mike slapped the door button as a flash of red began to come into view on the monitor. A loud metal '_thump_' reverberated through the office as Foxy accidentally body slammed into the door.

Mike snorted beside himself.

2 A.M.

He had this.


	34. Ice Cream Parlor

"'Allo sweetie."

"Hello ma'am." Dollface greeted the lady in black. "Would ya like anythang today?"

"No, but thank you," She passed Dollface at the counter and sat in her usual booth by the window and placed her book in front of her.

Dollface greeted a few more customers and grabbed their orders, earning her money.

That was how it went since Mamie had started to come, and when it was closing time, Dollface flipped the sign and sat in front of her in the booth.

"Why are you here?" Dollface asked. Raised raised her head from her book.

"I used to live here when I was a very little girl. I used to work on this very parlor when I was your age." She answered. "Doesn't seem like anyone recognizes me anymore."

Dollface always asked that question, and always received that answer.

"That's sad." She said simply.

"Well, sometimes it's nice." The woman said as she leaned forward conspiratorially, "It's like being a spy and you can be left alone more."

Dollface giggled. "Where do ya live now?"

"In a very, very faraway place with my husband." Dollface could smell her perfume. It was flowery, like roses and lavender. "And maybe, one day, you could see it too."

Dollface felt something trickle down her nose and onto the front of her crisp white dairy uniform.

_'Wait, wasn't it covered in rainbow swirls earlier?'_

"Oh, here!" The woman quickly rushed to the metal napkin dispenser and handed Dollface a wad of napkins from the dispenser by her elbow.

Dollface staubbed them to her nose. "I-I need to leave now, bye-bye!"

**Later**

"Look Dollface!"

Dollface looked up from her drawings to see what Izzy wanted to show her. She was tired after her shift at Daisy's and just wanted to sit quietly so she could get ready for tonight's performance.

The ballots were in, it was a success!

"Isn't it great?"

A plushie.

"It's so pretty." Dollface complimented. It was a Funtom plush toy depicting a cow.

"Ben bought it for me the other day. He'd seen Moo-Moo." Izzy looked so happy as she placed it next to Moo-Moo on her pillow. Moo-Moo was floppy and limp, plush fur felted from nearly sixteen years of unconditional love. Moo-Moo flopped against the new toy as if welcoming an old friend.

Dollface smiled, glad Izzy was happy and getting an idea for a drawing.

"Oooh, that would be cute!" Dollface flipped to the next page of her book and started drawing the structural sketches.

"Aaaw, you're right, Dolly!" Izzy exclaimed over Dollface's shoulder. She grabbed her own sketchbook and started drawing. Dollface closed her eyes and breathed in.

Last night's dream, what she remembered of it had been exhilarating when she finally came home from Freddy's.

Flying.

And walking through a land between destinations, like stop signs and hallways.

She always dreamed about flying and hallways and endless stairs and they filled her with a certain level of contentment found nowhere else.

Maybe one day she would fly.

"Fourth of July is coming up soon, that'll be interestin'."


	35. Health Code Violations

"Hello Eustace!"

Grampa waved to the man running the hardware store as he passed on his early morning rounds. No time to eat donuts with Mr. Hank.

"Hi Sergeant!"

A little boy on a bike passed him in the street as he moseyed over to Daisy's to inspect the ice cream parlor for any violations.

"Good morning, Sergeant." Mr. Custer said with a nod as Grampa wandered past. Mr. Custer grabbed his mail and stepped into his law firm.

"Good morning, Mr. Cowatch."

Grampa had a funny feeling in his stomach as Mr. Afton greeted him by the door of Freddy's.

He sniffed as his ears rang like he was by the river in the silent wintertime when it froze over and grated against itself.

Grampa was led to the kitchen. The pans were dented and the security cam set up in the corner was missing. He put down a note in his funny little book and continued to be toured around. Grampa batted at a few flies.

"Here is the 'cove'." Mr. Afton announced in one room. No obvious smells here. A few flies, though, but overall, all clear.

"Did'ya take care of th'rats?" Eustace asked.

"Yes. The original owners warned us of them and we had a team find them." William said.

Eustace watched an unusually large brown rat with battered ears scurry by the back wall of the lazer arena. Disgusted, he scribbled down his note and continued on his tour.

"And the back party room." Eustance sniffed, noting a very distinct smell of clean found so far nowhere else. He noted it.

"Prize corner."

Eustace poked with his pen at the blue and pink box, then turned to the prize counter and its contents. He swatted at a few flies.

"And parts and service, you look like a bit of a tool fan."

Eustace grunted at Afton's attempt to please. Then, he nearly gagged on an all too familiar smell, like when he had to clean out Jonestown on a hot day, but much more subtle and contained, mixed with a good dose of bleach and machine oil. Several flies buzzed past.

Afton smiled. "Everything all right?"

"Oh, yes, fine." Eustace choked, hoping to keep restrained and suspicion untraceable. He scribbled in his pad, wiping his eyes and shooting a fat fly. "This place only opens on weekends, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Cowacth." Afton said. "Your granddaughter works here, thought you would know."

"Yes, just makin' sure for th'results. May I see th'animatronics?"

"Didn't know inspections went that deep." Afton said, cocking his head. He was wearing too much aftershave and mixed with the years of pizza grease, bleach and rotting food, Eustace could feel his stomach churn.

"I like t'be thorough. Never know what hidden contagions lurkin' 'round here." Eustace explained, supplementing with, "I once had t'convince an entire school district t'put sneeze guards in their cafeterias 'cause of flu season."

"I would love to hear more stories, but I don't want to keep you waiting." Afton said, already leading Eustace to the main stage.

Eustace sniffed, then followed his nose via hidden stairs, ignoring Mr. Afton asking, practically pleading him to get off the stage of animatronics.

The bunny. He brushed off lint from its lavender fur with his sun worn hand. Something fell and crawled. Ew. He grimaced at the small pile of crawling rice falling in clicks at his feet.

Stepping over it, he grabbed the brown fur of the bear. Eustace ruffled the fur, finding no smell or offending vermin at his prodding.

He then advanced on the chicken. It reeked of old rat and stale pizza.

Something black and oily rolled from the eye socket, making his eyes water. It left a black trail on the yellow plush. If he wasn't trying not to vomit, he would've noticed a purple eye roll towards him in the chicken's dark socket in conscious awareness.

This would be reported immediately, no questions asked.

Eustace soon found himself outside, trying to remember his morning past foggy memories of rotting bodies in the jungle while he ate his morning donut with Haddonfield Hank.

The Health Department would soon send in an agent, but because of technicalities, Fazbear's stayed open, and the agent was never really seen again.

But his car was.

Somewhere in the eastern part of the Big City, completely stripped.


	36. Ball of Yarn

"Ready?" Dollface bounced on her feet, having anticipated this all summer. Grampa was out doing his health inspection rounds this morning, and he usually had stories to tell. But Dollface was here in the moment.

"Ready!" Dolli Mae, her running partner shouted. Dollface tugged the loose end and looked over at Lily. Lily held her end, and shouted, "Ready t'run, darlin'!"

Princess wrapped her hand in the sweater tighter, oval face gazing at Lily with utter admiration. Lily's honey colored hair danced in the morning light, still cool enough to run across town and unravel sweaters.

Lily was always nicely dressed. That was just her thing. Right now, she was barefoot in a white lace dress, long muscular legs as long as a new foul's.

Gramma stood between the two rows of yarn in her apron, and tested them to see how well they'd unravel.

Satisfied, she stepped back and yelled, "Let's go girls."

ZOOM!

Dollface took off, Dolli Mae's retreating back to hers.

Lily ran beside her, skirt billowing around her as she ran. Dollface looked to her and smiled, remembering the image of a triumphant Princess lifting her into the air while standing en Pointe on the community center's stage.

Dollface looked straight ahead, yarn still on her hand and dodged a lady walking her dog in their direction.

"Glack!" Dollface was pulled backwards, sweater far behind her knotted. Lily giggled musically and went ahead, yarn still unwinding. Dollface grumbled, staring at her boots and thinking about girls and their irresistibly soft hands, each capped with a smooth nail.

The yarn became slack, and soon enough, Dollface caught up to Lily in the white lace dress with no back.

They soon stood on a street corner panting, yarn as pulled as far as it could, no more sweater to unravel.

Lily laughed musically, like Alice the angel from the old Bendy cartoons, and started winding a ball around her manicured hands. Dollface followed suit, wrapping the yarn around her small hand and into a small ball.

"How ya doin' Lily?"

"I'm doin' very well, thank you." Lilly replied. "Y'all think ya can help me get Princess t'wake up next Sunday and come t'church with us?"

"I might be able t'pull a few strings." Dollface said. "Is Missy okay?"

"In what way?" Lily asked, red lips pursed.

"You seem to be the only one she likes, an' I was wondering how she was doin' She seems miserable." Explained Dollface, "An' Gramma said somethin' was wrong."

"Her parents got busted for embezzlement recently. Apparently, th'Drowlines sent in Izzy's corrections to a different accountin' place and she was right." Lily thought for a second, then said, "I think they're under investigation now."

"Oh," Dollface kept walking and winding with Lily. "How's your lil sister?"

"Annoying." Lilly laughed, "She's gotten into my stuff again, and I had to chase her out of my room this morning."

"Just means she likes you." Dollface said, bumping her shoulder to Lilly's.

"Easy for you t'say." She smiled and bumped back. Her low backed lace dress hung on her like a waterfall. "You're an only child."

No wonder Princess fell so hard for Lily. She was just amazing. The small dots down the street in front of them soon became people. Features melted into eyes, both bright green, colors taking shapes, forming Princess's blue hair pulled up in pigtails and Dolli Mae's blue jean skirt.

Dolli Mae, having stopped growing after the age of eleven, stood at four foot six, much smaller than Princess's five three and still counting, was small and aggressive. She had to be. It was a tall person's world, especially with six brothers.

Dollface wondered where Dolli Mae's almost boyfriend was, she hadn't seen him for a while.

Lilly forgot her wrapping and ran to Princess in a dead run, as if they hadn't seen each other in years, just like in a fairytale.

Dollface sometimes wished she had someone to run to and forget with.

She ignored Foxx. It was best to give that silly daydream up. He'd never go for her.

Dolli Mae trailed behind, still winding meticulously.

Gramma stepped around them, taking Lilly and Princess's yarn balls with a sigh. Dollface let her smile linger, legs burning under her overall skirt, feeling like she'd been flying.


	37. Balloons

"Hey, where's Vinnie?"

At the restaurant to help with rehearsals that afternoon because of the holiday and the owner of Daisy's patriotism, Dollface approached Maggie.

"None of your business!" She snapped at the girl in black work boots who only asked a question.

"So, you don't know either?" Dollface asked.

"No! I don't!" Maggie shouted, voice cracking. Dollface could hear something in Maggie that she wasn't used to hearing. "Just because he left and went back to California without telling me doesn't mean I know where he went! I'm not his girlfriend! I wouldn't know!"

Maggie shoved Dollface, whipping her glasses off and running to the bathroom.

"That's weird." Dolli Mae muttered from the empty Pirate Cove platform in front of the laser arena. She leaned on the 'Out of Order' sign.

Dollface furrowed her brow. Technically, Dollface didn't need to be here, but she wanted to see if she could help Wolfie, Dolli Mae and String Bean with their rehearsals.

Besides, everyone else was busy.

"Okay, let's try that again Dolli." Henry said. Dolli Mae released the sign from her lean, thigh highs looking strange riding over her jeans. She stepped back, allowing the automated curtain to fall around her like stardust. It opened, revealing her standing, one brown boot on a prop treasure chest.

"Ahoy me mateys, and welcome to me ship!" She said proudly, strong chest puffed out in pure confidence. "Welcome to me cove, where we find treasure and play games! Tonight we be stealin' the treasure from me lassie Freddy, and win tickets fer all!"

After she finished the speech, three lines later, Henry gave her a small critique.

"I'm glad that you are more comfortable with your lines and the accent, but you're a little fast now. Dollface," Henry looked to her, "Great job on coaching the accent."

Dollface smiled, and watched them restart slower, then wandered away, leaving them to their work.

"Okay Wolfie, just pop on out when the lid opens."

Wolfie hopped into the blue box at Afton's command, lid closing on its automated hinges.

"And the music box..." He muttered, slapping a button on the prize counter. The tinkling toy box played its merry melody, and the lid opened like a jaw, and Wolfie rose from its depths.

"Have you been a good kid today?" She said, hitting something in Dollface's mind. "Why not trade in your tokens?" Wolfie turned her face side to side, as if looking for something, then dove back into the box and grabbed a stuffed toy of a yellow bear. "Where's the birthday boy? I have a present for you!"

"Wolfie, you're sounding a little dead and condescending." Afton said, then suggested, "Maybe play around with your voice?"

"Yeah, okay." Dollface smiled and gave a thumbs up, quickly returned by Wolfie on her sharp face.

"Okay, let's run it one more time!" Afton said with vigor. Eventually, the pair were muffled by the walls as Dollface wandered to another room.

Into the parts and service room.

A spare Marionette suit hung from the ceiling next to the shelf of spare suit heads. Curious, she looked inside a head, then gagged. A spider's nest had been built inside the interlocking grates of springlocks.

She set the rabbit head back, avoiding the latex costume of the puppet that hung like dead skin on a finger.

It kinda smells here, actually.

A toy dog, one of Henry's toys made for Charlie lay discarded on the floor, and Dollface accidentally kicked it with a boot. She picked it up, turning it in her miniature hands. She set it on the work table, next to an endoskeleton, feeling dissonant. She looked at all the activated springlocks in sheer wonder at its mysteries laid bare.

Dollface left the room, feeling unaccountably watched, wanting to find String Bean. And String Bean she found in the next room over, batting at flies and filling balloons with air.

"Can I help?"

"Eh, 'fraid not kiddo." String Bean lifted a large hand and ruffled Dollface's blonde and pink locks. "I only have one tank, and even though it would be appreciated for tomorrow's scheduled party…" She trailed off.

Dollface decided it would be best to just go home now. The rest of the day in the tailor shop proved uneventful, but she was needed there to help stitch darts into dresses.


	38. Showtime

It was a Friday night and the place was packed.

Princess tried to navigate the crowd of children, feeling too claustrophobic too think. She took her pink prescriptions off to wipe them on her purple sweater. Princess placed them onto her nose, then adjusted her crown. "Oof!"

"Bawney, you'we Bawney!" A little girl slammed into Princess and wrapped her arms around her. Princess awkwardly raised her arms, the kid's chin digging into her stomach and limbs crushing Princess's rib cage. "My favewate's Fweddy, but I'm to scawed t'talk t'her!"

The dark face of the girl wrapping herself around Princess revealed all emotions. Pure, unrequited worship.

Princess wanted to just shake her off, but realized she had a job to do. The girl's cleft lip curled into a smile. "You'we Bawnie, you really arwe!"

"Yes, yes I am Bonnie!" Princess said, the words filling her chest with a sudden, unacountable pride. Was this why her mom liked to work daycare?

"I saw you'we pictuwe and you wewe on TeeVee!"

Princess smiled down at the little girl.

"You'we haiw is so pwetty!" The girl gasped, "I wuv bwoo!"

"Thank you! What is your name?"

"Pen'eya!" The girl beamed widely. "It's my biwthday today!"

"Happy birthday, Pen'eya."

The girl beamed, hearing Bonnie the bunny say that to her special.

"I weally want to talk to the othews but I'm scawed!"

"And why is that?" Princess asked, smile playing on her painted lips.

"Becawse I don't know what t'say!"

"Maybe after the show you can come and talk to us! Would you like that?"

The girl with the speech impediment's warm face lit up like a birthday cake.

**_Everyone, please stay in your seat, the show will begin momentarily!_**

"That is my cue, Pen'eya, I have to leave now. But I promise to talk to you when we are done!"

Pene'ya unlatched herself and ran to the dining area to watch her new idol come onto the stage.

Just for her.

And the fifty or so other kids from the big city


	39. Follow Me

"Mistew, whewe awe we going?"

"To meet your new friends of course!"

Penny followed behind the rabbit carrying her new Freddy toy, the one the lady with striped arms gave her special during the birthday dance. She held it close. "Follow me!"

Penny slowed down, hugging her toy. "I don't feel vewy good, mistew."

"Don't you trust me?" The rabbit asked. The rabbit smelled funny.

Like Daddy's deodorant.

"Uhmmmmm..." Penny kicked her feet on the check tile.

"Here we are!" He giggled.

"I don't see them..." Penny said doubtfully. Where was mommy? Her lip was drying out, and this rabbit was kinda scaring her a little bitty bit.

"How about you put this on?" He held up a funny brown blanket once inside the funny room that was empty and smelled like the alleycats on Pen'eya's street hid all their kills. She shook her head full of intricate braids her mother had skillfully woven into her hair.

And then Penny was on the ground, being stuffed into the furry blanket while screaming, lisp denying her safety, then tossed at the wall with a loud bang and several pops as an animatronic bear was formed around and inside her.

"Be good and you'll get candy."

"Where's that Penny kid? You said she wanted t'meet us." Izzy said, orange lips forming the words.

"I do not know." Princess paced stiffly around the quieted party room.

"Guys, it's late." Wolfie said. "She probably had to go home or somethin'."

Wolfie wasn't too fond of waiting around. She snuck out again and was now really feeling her late night catch up to her. Dolli Mae nodded in agreement. String Bean did as well, pulling her pants higher over her toned torso.

"Something feels off." Princess insisted in that flat way of hers. "Something is wrong, I can feel it!"

Dollface unclipped the tiny top hat from her hair and twirled it in her hands, then attempted to roll it over her shoulders with about as much success as you'd expect. "I agree with Wolfie. She probably had t'go home."

"No!" Princess snapped loudly, more emotion in her voice than usual. The red eyeshadow swirled across her lids mirrored her fiery outlash perfectly. She slumped.

"Hey, it's fine." Dollface said, approaching cautiously in her go-go boots. She ran her fingers through Princess's waterfall. Thorne and String Bean stood closer. "We're all a little tired. Do you need a ride home?"

Princess nodded, looking defeated.

"Hey Thorne, can she catch a ride with you guys?"

"Yep, we can do that." String Bean put an arm around Thorne's waist. Thorne rested her head against String Bean.

"We are all a little tired right now."


	40. Morning Stretches

Princess started her warm-up stretches in the silence of the empty dance studio.

Side, side, splits, stretch. Leg on her left, then right. Practice spin, practice spin, leap.

Princess sighed, and did a few dips, heels together. She looked at herself in the mirror as she did the splits, crunches, push-ups...

The designer, some trashy brat from the L.A. projects had come up with a new idea for the Fazbear Girls, which used Princess's talents as a ballerina. Princess rather disliked Maggie, especially after she told Princess she was slow and talked funny. And she would just rag on Dollface.

Henry had rigged the purple and yellow LED lights into the dancer's tutu that stuck out stiffly, and Maggie had bought a brand new blue leotard and added big, puffy satin sleeves to it. Next up was the costume jewelry and blue pointe shoes, or maybe regular dance slippers with white balls of fuzz tacked onto them.

Princess would have to get her legs waxed again soon, she thought to herself half invested. And screw doing that at home, she'd rather cough up the money for a real salon next town over or so.

How did she even let herself get talked into doing this? But here she was, doing pilés in the mirror while wearing a most of a silly performance costume.

Wishing Lilly was there to help keep her company and practice her part for this year's production of the Nutcracker, Princess sighed, dipping down into another pilés.

Spin, spin, leap. Having the entire mirrored room to herself had its perks, and so she took a running leap for the radio, landing almost silently in the drop dead quiet room. She knelt to the speaker, took out her phone and pulled up the songs she was supposed to rehearse with.

She scrolled through, then found the icon sent to her via text.

Okay, cool, got it.

The weird intro played once the speaker picked up the Bluetooth signal. Princess pulled into a twirl, and spun from the station.

_"There's only two types of people in the world, the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe."_ She lept nimbly, letting the verses drag her away.

_"Well baby I'm a put-on-a-show kinda girl_." A few floor moves always wowed an audience, so she dropped, rolled, stood.

_"Don't like the backseat, gotta be first_." This song was growing on her now. Britany Spears sucked eggs, and her voice scraped ears, but this song was kinda… Cool.

Ew.

_"I'm like the ringleader, I call the shots!" _Princess stood, rolled her head back, and like a puppet on a string leaned as far back as she could take it without losing balance, left leg nearly straight in the air, chained to her rhythm. She wondered about Pen'eya, then dropped it. She was probably home and sleeping in her fun day at Freddy's.

"_I'm like a firecracker, I make it hot! When I put on a show!"_ Twirl it out, twirl it out. Princess tracked the radio to keep from getting dizzy, a move she couldn't practice at home.

"_I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins."_ Arm up, arm up, leg up and bent at the knee. Princess loved to dance, forgetting how people looked at her weirdly for getting too upset too easily or for talking like a robot. In fact, it was Raina who had taught her, telling her to keep practicing, even keeping private lessons with Princess until she was strong enough to join the other girls in regular classes.

_"All eyes on me in the center of the ring, just like a circus!"_ Leg lifted back, arms out in a classic pose. She could hear Raina's strong, commanding voice in her ear, telling Princess what to say and do, all while encouraging her.

"_When I crack that whip, everybody gonna trip!_" Build spinning speed! "Just like a circus."

She dropped to her knees, one leg pushed out, one tucked under her bum, arms up in the air like a swan landing on a lake._ "Don't stand there watching me, follow me. Show me what you can do!"_

Princess moved her leg with perfect grace around to her back and pulled herself up in one swooping move. _"Everybody let go, we can make a dance floor, just like a circus!"_


	41. Good Morning Blondie

"Really, your combat boots?"

"What?"

Gramma looked really tired. Dollface couldn't understand why. It was only Uncle Sebbie!

"And the jeans with Grampa's first Air Force Patch."

Dollface shrugged, not fully seeing the problem with this.

"He's gonna think we're absolutely crazy."

"Let it go, Muriel, just let it go." Dollface could hear Grampa telling Gramma to chill from his seat at the kitchen table. Gramma sighed, and turned back to the kitchen.

"Dollface, can you get the toast for me?" Quickly forgetting appearances, Gramma turned on the old stovetop to fry bacon in the cast iron skillet that lived on a burner.

Dollface selected two slices and tossed them into the little metal slots and pulled the margarine from the fridge.

"And coffee please."

"Yes ma'am." Dollface turned her attention to the coffee machine. She wasn't a fan of caffeine, but Grampa needed his mug full to drink before work, and a canteen throughout the day.

Dollface sighed. "Why is Uncle Sebastian coming today?"

"This is his only day off he could get to spend time with you." Gramma said. Dollface glanced at the kitchen calendar for 2019 Conservation.

"Why would some rich businessman like Uncle Sebbie want to even show his face in this town?" Dollface pulled her pink shirt down, (the one that should've been a crop top, but because she was so small for her age was just a regular shirt that didn't need tucking.) And then sniffed, putting a scoop of coffee into the machine's filter.

"Because he loves you and when you were ten he could finally meet you after several years." Gramma answered matter of factly.

"I don't even know about that side of the family." Dollface said with a snort, pouring water into the tank and switching the coffee machine on. "And you send him stuff all the time too." Dollface said, listening to the machine burble and heat the water. The toast popped from its stainless steel prison, and she placed the two slices on a plate, slathering margarine onto one side and slapping the pieces together. She set the warming 'sandwich' onto a tea plate to stay warm before serving.

She then pulled out her stash of decaf instant and put a rounded teaspoon into her favorite mug, the one with 'Hot Mess Express' written on the side, surrounded by cactuses. Or was it cacti?

She was about as clueless as Jasper T. Jowls on that one.

Dollface grabbed Gramma's hot water meant for tea, poured some in, then reached into the fridge for her acidophilus milk.

Dollface wouldn't have to take a lactaid now, but judging by the emptiness of the carton, she would tomorrow.

She tossed it into the trash.

Grampa looked up from his newspaper at the addition of eggs and bacon to the table. Dollface sat across from him, and handed him his coffee once it spewed from the machine and could be poured into his mug of cream and sugar.

"Toast my dear?" Grampa passed the slices to Gramma. Gramma didn't like

when he ate toast because he liked to go down to have a donut with

Haddonfield Hank. Gramma took her golden brown bread and Dollface took hers.

"Get enough sleep kiddo?"

Dollface looked at Grampa and nodded, mouth filled with eggs. Last night was a late night for the Fazbear Girls, and tonight had to be put on hold because of Dollface's weird uncle visiting.

Luckily, the animatronics had been cleaned up and were ready to go, and the other girls could just serve pizza and run counters in the arcade like most weekend days. They just had to do it in the evenings now, too.

Dollface hated being the reason for complications, but Mr. Emily had said "It's fine, I understand. Family is more important."

Dollface glugged her unsweetened coffee. Sugar hurt her throat, so she avoided it.

"Uncle Sebbie is weird though." She muttered to herself.

Every visit he was.

"Hey, he's your uncle." Gramma mumbled around a mouthful of bacon, "And he loves you very much!"


	42. Breather

'_It's me, Michael. I'll be waiting for you. I'm oh-so-very close.' The feeling of her next to Mike left him in the morning light. And once again, the lonely man was alone_.

Finishing song one, Princess walked on her toes to the Bluetooth, grabbing

her water bottle. She dropped onto her heels, gulping it down. She kicked her usual pointé shoes reserved for practice.

The closed door creaked open, making her jump out of her skin.

"Hey girlie!" It was only Stefani. Princess looked up from her bottle, chest heaving. "How ya doin'?"

"I am doing great, Ma'am." Princess took another swig. Stefani was the early morning attendant. Princess was the only one here at 7:30 A.M.

"Can't wait t'see what yer comin' up with! Do ya want me t'close t'door fer ya?"

Princess nodded her head. Stefani smiled and closed the door.

Princess checked her bun in one of the large mirrors. It was still in place.

She reclipped her crown back into her blue locks. Izzy's mom always did a good job dyeing her hair. Always so even and her bangs were pretty sweet too.

She actually used to kinda have a crush on Izzy, and the blue hair was originally so Princess had an excuse and could impress the girl. It was obviously one sided, and Princess was glad she'd long since moved past that.

Lilly was even a good dance partner. Well, better than Izzy, anyway. Princess grabbed her phone, and put another song on.


	43. Over the Garden Wall

The clock said it was just past eight, but to Dollface, it felt like 2 A.M.

She sipped the last of her coffee and flipped the page. She yawned and decided she didn't like the music in her ear buds on her iPod. The iPod, much like the couch she was sitting on, had seen better days, but what are you supposed to do when the fridge needs filling and the laudry can't magically do itself?

Anyway, Dollface couldn't pay attention to the story about a little girl who couldn't hold still or think through her actions as she went falling down a rabbit hole. Dollface had read that story a million times, it was her favorite story to have ever been written. Even if Alice was a total dumbass.

She gave up, setting it down on its open page to keep her place, and wandered outside. She kicked around a bit, kinda bored.

"Ho... ho... ho..."

Dollface bounded up to the white picket fence past Gramma's garden and onto the small stack of cinder blocks. "Hi Mr. Tanaka!"

The little older Asian man looked up from where he was gardening and let out another chuckle. He set the watering can down and tottered slowly to the picket fence.

"Your garden is lookin' wonderful today!"

Tanaka had lived there as long as Dollface could remember. His garden was wonderful, and her grandmother often visited his flower shop for cuttings and seeds.

Tanaka didn't say much, and when he did, it was always interesting.

Like stories of how he escaped from Japan during the war, or working in a great big house for rich lords and ladies. She often didn't believe some of these stories, but they were beautiful to hear. Now that she could be trusted

home alone, he no longer had to babysit her anymore.

"I'm afraid I can't talk today." Tanaka had been taught by an English speaker somewhere in the U.K. and it showed in his old, worn voice. "I'm afraid I have to leave soon."

"That's okay." Dollface grinned, "I probably have to go soon too."


	44. Dance with Me

"_Could a body close the mind down_?" Princess danced in the dimmed lights, skirt disc lit like a firefly infested field.

"_Stitch a seam across the eye_." She tried to keep it from being slow and graceful. She wanted to be jerky, distorted. Disturbing.

_"If you can be good you'll live forever, if you're bad, you'll die when you die_." She wanted to make herself disjointed.

"_Hearing only one true note. I'm the one and only sound."_ She felt that. Princess didn't relate kinda 'felt that' but heard it resonate in her head like a whisper in the dark.

"_Unzip my body, take my heart out, 'cause I need a beat to give this tune_." She twirled en Pointe.

"Bang Bang" Pilé, heel turn, pilé.

_"Oh the body swayed to music. Oh the lightning glance."_ Sway sway swish, dip forward, up.

_"I would give it all, and all, maybe you would give me less for half a chance_."

Too busy to notice her changing reflection, Princess spun, enamored by the tiny lights in her disc shaped tutu. When she was little, it was suggested that she become a ballerina to feel her body, to become aware of herself. But the only person who could teach her for a long time was Raina, Mike's tall, Polish-American ex-Navy wife.

Raina was the one who taught her to face her stage fright by closing her green eyes while dancing. It got to the point where Princess could do entire performances with other girls, eyes shut tight. _"Hearing only one root note, planted firmly in the ground_."

Sudden grace to clash, Princess swayed to one side, twisting her legs, then hips into a lazy circle and rotating her entire body.

"_Undo my heart unzip my body and lend to my ear to a clear and a deafening sound_."

This was Princess. There was nothing else but the thought of music and the sound of her feet hitting the floor. This was her roots, her core, her life giving blood.

_"And if I need a rhythm, it'll be to my heart I listen_." Leap, spin, dive. Princess flew. Her reflection followed as it seemed to grow taller, lankier. Princess found herself relating to this line.

Only she could tell herself what to do, even if Dollface was good at convincing her.

"_If it doesn't put me too far wrong, and if I need a rhythm, it will be to my heart I listen if it doesn't put me too far wrong_." Princess kept dancing, feeling like everything was falling into place. Her reflection stayed in place, while Princess kept twirling and walked backwards, en Pointe once more, and fell into a back leaning dip.

"_Everybody smile, please. Nobody pay no mind to me_." The reflection stopped. It smiled empty at its owner, en pointé.

"_Finger in position on the switch, a little flash photography_." It put it's hand on its side of the mirror and stepped forward, forcing the skirt to lift up in the front. Princess spun and fell to her knee, other leg outstretched, eyes still lightly closed.

"_Taking a picture of you_." Pre-chorus! Princess felt her heart jump from excitement at the sound of a xylophone and the accompanying rattles. The spector's pink eyes fluttered open, smirking.

"_Taking a picture of-Taking a picture of me. Taking a picture_!" Oh hell yeah! This was Princess's favorite part of dancing to a song with lyrics.

"_Ramalama, bang bang_."

Princess moved forward to the singer's rhythm, trying to emulate a doll, feet pulling forward then back, carrying her along like a crab. The reflection seemed to grow larger, politely terrifying smile still playing on its lips like a violinist and her instrument.

"_Flash bang, big bang_," Princess took a running leap, turning it into a cartwheel. Wolfie would definitely do something more physically demanding and creepy, but Princess wasn't even trying to come up with choreography anymore. She was just playing now.

And besides, this was Princess's solo. Not Wolfie's.

"_Bing bong, ding dong, dom dom do dom dom._" Princess grabbed her leg, and with her other foot flat, did a full 360 turn. Hard to do around the disc skirt, but she did it! She waited to be proud, right now she was busy.

"_With a hammer bang bang, flash bang, press gang_."

The reflection was now of a seven foot woman in a matching outfit to Princess's. Little earrings adorned her ears and matched the little pearl comb tucked into her bun. She took the glasses from her sculpted face and crushed them like a can in her perfect hands.

"_Bing bong, ding dong, hum hum ho hum hum_." Princess fell to the wood floors, and twisted her body like Wolfie would, then turned it into a roll, tucking her chin in and standing in one flow. Raina had been the one she'd told first, about Princess's interests.

Princess had told Raina everything.

There had been no secret.

She'd even told Raina about her real feelings towards girls.

"With a system of a bang bang, crash bang, big bang."

The dissonant drums rattled her ears and kept her going, even as her legs burned and screamed for the music to stop for a break.

"_Boing boing, boing boing, dumb dumb do dumb dumb_!" Y'know, maybe getting talked into being a Fazbear Girl wasn't so bad. It was fun pretending to be Bonnie onstage and other than dance recitals she didn't get to- ulp!

Finally catching a glimpse of her "reflection", Princess stopped he twirling.

"With a system of a bang bang, crash bang, big bang."

She stepped to the Polish woman in the mirror.

That wasn't her.

"_Boing boing, boing boing, dumb dumb do dumb dumb_!"

She cocked her head.

The lady who looked nothing like her mirrored her motion. Her black hair was pulled into a tight bun, hazel eyes trained on Princess. Princess could fall into those eyes, and how familiar they were. No, they weren't hazel.

They were pink.

And her tightly rolled hair was blue.

Like Princess's.

"Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on..."

Forgetting dance, forgetting rhythm, forgetting life itself, Princess put a hand up, then down. The reflection mirrored it perfectly. The smile widened, revealing sharp, metal teeth.

"_And if I-and if I need a rhythm, gonna be to my heart I listen_." She looked up at the woman in the mirror. She pulled into a perfect side split.

The mirror followed.

"_And if I-and if I need a rhythm_." The woman looked familiar to Princess. Maybe this was a weird dream? Humans could supposedly never forget a face and they leaked everywhere into dreams like a tipped bucket. Whoever she was, she definitely wasn't Princess's reflection.

She couldn't quite place this woman.

"It's gonna be to my heart I listen."

She put her hand to the mirror. Princess felt confident in the smooth, cold surface of the glass.

Until she wasn't.

"_And if I and if I need a rhythm, it's gonna be to my heart I listen_."

The music melted in her ears as she felt the larger hand on her own as she pulled up from her splits, hands never leaving the mirror like she was on a wire. The lady leaned forward, coming out of the mirror with an unhuman groan.

"_Keep on, keep on_." Princess screamed, feeling the all-encompassing might

as her hand was grabbed.

"_Keep on, keep on_." She screamed again, feeling like her hand was being crushed as the twisted ballerina's jaws unhinged. Princess was too scared

to fight back. She attempted to head butt the wasp-waisted monster, but found herself on the floor,

Stefani stammering over her in a panic.


	45. The Arrival

Gramma flew past Dollface in her apron and wrenched the door open. Figures.

Dollface hadn't heard the polite knock on the door over her music and would probably be getting it later for being impolite and not paying attention. Boy, did Gramma get worked up about Uncle Sebbie. Dollface stood and set her book down, pausing her music and pocketing her iPod.

She yawned. Gosh, last night was crazy.

Nine o'clock exactly. That was Uncle Sebbie for you, always on time.

"'Allo there. How's my little wren?" Sebastian towered over Gramma, practically ignoring her, looking over the little old lady's head behind his impossibly dark glasses to look at Dollface.

"Come on in, come on in!" Gramma stood away, allowing Uncle Sebbie to come in. He never came in unless explicitly invited.

Uncle Sebbie stepped in. He towered over Dollface with a strange grin. She looked up at him with her black, almond shaped European eyes. She wasn't really threatened. He was weird, but ultimately harmless.

"My dear, you are not wearing that shabby little suit."

"What's wrong with my orchestra uniform, uncle Sebbie?"

Uncle Sebbie looked at Dollface. It was almost like he'd read her mind about the Homecoming dance in September. "Whether you realize or appreciate it or not, you carry a proud name, and wearing that uniform disrespects that good, strong name."

Dollface picked up Courage, still yipping at uncle Sebbie. She watched Gramma smile and walk out of the living room. "I don't see what's wrong with my orchestra tux. I wore it last year."

Uncle Sebbie looked almost offended in that way rich European businessmen did.

"You what now?"

"I wore my tux t'Homecomin' last year. I even bought a red vest and matching bow tie." She said, pointedly sticking her nose up to see him as she cuddled Courage to her chest.

"And why is that?" Uncle Sebbie said, never one to back down.

"Because," she said, not one to leave a fight in the air, "t'only formal dress I own is fer Easter and Throwback Thursdays. It's too vintage t'wear any other time."

"Well then, how about we get you a new dress?" Uncle Sebbie asked with a bargaining tone. Courage growled, then saw Uncle Sebbie's glare and whimpered, burrowing into Dollface's arms.

"Nah, I'm good." Dollface said, rocking on her heels. She tried not to smile at uncle Sebbie's momentary scowl. "Did Gramma put you up t'this?"

Gramma had been upset about the suit, too. She was thrown into a nervous tizzy about her little girl dressing like a boy for the entire school to see for concerts, then panicked when Dollface came home freshman year with Homecoming fliers at the last minute wuth nothing to wear but her uniform.

Dollface didn't understand at both occasions, it just saved money and made it easier to carry an upright bass up sets of stairs.

AAAAnnnyyyyyWAAAAAAYYYYY.

Uncle Sebbie was still not giving up on this one though. "No, you're dear little grandmother had nothing to do with this. I just can't stand seeing the pictures they sent over, of you in a cheap suit and a gaudy red tie while all of your friends had pretty dresses and fancy shoes."

"Well, I guess it's your problem, then, not mine." Dollface shrugged, not completely seeing the point of this conversation. She placed Courage down, where he immediately high-tailed it away from Uncle Sebbie with loud yipes, seeing something red flash in the tall, slender man's brown eyes. Uncle Sebbie was like something from a long dead internet forum from 2012.

"Mrs. Cowatch, we are going on our day trip to the Big City now!" Uncle Sebbie looked at her, knowing he had her caught.

"Wait, what?" looked like Dollface had no choice now.

Crap.

Uncle Sebbie's car was the type that you didn't hear move or accelerate, but feel. It would pull you back as it sped up, rumbling and filling your chest when it roared to life with you inside.

Dollface never could understand why Uncle Sebbie would show up once a year and always insisted on taking her for a ride up to the big city for a day, but he did, and there was no getting out of it. And this time it was more than a walk in the park and a nice lunch along with a lot of questions.

She hated spending money.

It felt strange.

She hated being the thing money was spent on, as well.

Having pressed a limited edition Funtom Rabbit, black label, (of course) into Dollface's tiny hands, he strode back outside to wait for her by the car.

Dollface had placed the boxed toy next to the six or so other limited edition Funtom Rabbits on the shelf Grampa had put up years before and caught up to him.

Dollface felt small in the real leather passenger seat, used to Grampa's duct-taped upholstered truck.

"Tell me about town. Haven't been here for awhile." Uncle Sebbie had a very strong English accent that put any other accent else to shame just by existing.

"Uuh, well, last Halloween, someone from t'county looney bin broke into t'hardware store and stole a few costumes. Went through town killin' a bunch o' teenagers who were supposed to be babysitting."

"My, how rude." Uncle Sebbie said. Dollface wasn't sure whether he was kidding or not. "I think he tried t'go after us too, but Izzy, Princess an' I were out with Thorne, hoping people'd think we were kids and she was our babysitter, or somethin'."

Uncle Sebbie made a sort of chuckling noise. Yep, Uncle Sebbie was weird, but he had a better sense of humor than Gramma and Grampa. "Did it work?"

"About as much as you'd expect. It scared t'crazy guy away, so that's nice."

Sebbie turned down Hurricane Lane. "Saw a video and some pictures of you and your friends in costumes. Care to elaborate?"

"I work at a new restaurant, t'one right there." Dollface pointed as they passed Freddy's. Apparently the already existing characters are too creepy for kids, so they'll have us do stuff occasionally to keep them from havin' meltdowns," Dollface tried to explain. "Sometimes we have to dress up as human versions of the characters and serve food or sing songs, or whatever."

"Interesting." Something in Uncle Sebbie's brown eyes flashed red, "How's the Missy situation?"

"No worse than usual. Izzy may have found out that they were embezzlin' money from her new boyfriend, and they found a body in their trunk."

"Well, that's unfortunate." Uncle Sebbie said, switching lanes to get to the highway.

Dollface looked at the blank page in her sketchbook.

What could she draw? That was the problem with drawing. Too much power.

"So Izzy has a new boyfriend? Is he any better than the last one?"

"Oh, SO much better. He runs a dairy farm next county over. They accidentally met at t'state fair." Dollface said, "She ended up havin' dinner over at his place, and then discovered a lot of the Custer's mathematical errors."

Dollface looked out the window. "Oh, look, there they are, getting arrested now."

Mr. Custer was being carried away in handcuffs, while his wife who'd helped, yelled angrily, all condescending and dignified demeanor lost. She dropped her iPhone XR that she shouldn't be able to afford and it tumbled down the stairs of the Accounting and Law Firm.

"Hope it works out though." Dollface added. "Her parents are scumbags, but it's not Missy's fault."

"You're too nice." Uncle Sebbie muttered.

"Thanks, I hate it." Out of town and away from the residential area, Uncle Sebbie accelerated. She could feel it in her, that subtle, anonymous power of the car engine. Missy had forced Izzy into dating some creep last year, and it ended by getting stood up at the Winter Formal.

"How are your little friends doing these days?"

"Princess is still dancing. She's getting really good, and she got a new

partner. Izzy had an appendectomy last November, and Dolli Mae won championships again."

And off to the big city they went.


	46. It's Saturday Night

Mike clocked in at exactly midnight. He'd learned very quickly not to dawdle around. Much like the mysterious stranger had warned, the animatronics were getting more aggressive as time progressed.

But he had more dirt on them.

And he knew who it was. It had to be…

Ugh, one more night, and he'd have them nailed with evidence.

He just needed security tapes or something, anything that could catch them in the act, like missing footage at specific times, or...

Mike checked on Foxy. He stayed put in front of the pirate themed laser arena, ready to herald in guests when the resturaunt opened next Friday night.

One, two, three animatronics were missing from the main stage. Mike could do this.

Jeremy was rudely interrupted in class. Night class, to be specific.

And he might have been stoned.

Like, not that much, but like, probably. He couldn't really tell anymore.

It was 2 A.M. He had things to do.

Like finish High School three years late.

Jeremy let it go to voicemail….

"Look, I'm really sorry for pulling you in. I really didn't wanna, but-" Mike's voice was interrupted by a loud music box playing some off key song from a play Jeremy hadn't cared enough to see. "Look, the power is out. I'm hiding under a desk. You have to save them. I know who it was who did it. The one who took those kids, Jeremy."

Jeremy put down the unlit blunt, interest grabbed.

"I have everything you need in the security office. I need you Jeremy." Mike sounded frantic at the sound of metal on metal. 'I need you?' Jeremy thought to himself. Who'd need him? He'd spent his whole life trying to keep people from needing him. "It was... oh holy mother of-"

Jeremy leaned into the speaker. It sounded like a kid was yawning.

And screaming.

It sounded like Mike and something unholy and inhuman as they presumably

ripped each other apart. Jeremy looked at the blunt on his battered table and gulped, interest unintentionally peaked.

Well, he had nothing better to do today. It was a Sunday morning. His roommate Fritz was out after an argument about uuuuh, dishes or whatever.

Maybe toilet paper. He didn't really know or care that much.

Jeremy had the day to himself. He looked at the number taped to his phone. He looked at his calendar to make sure it was a Sunday. Sometimes you really couldn't be sure of where you were. He picked up the receiver and

asked for a job switch for night shift.


	47. 6 AM

Funtime Freddy sat in a back room.

He'd fought hard, damaging the original Freddy Fazbear. Freddy no longer looked at him, too scared to move towards him with her ripped body or make a damaged squeak as she shoved an endoskeleton off the work table and fell onto it with a wet splat as the rotting organs immediately became a breeding ground for flies in a tumble of maggots and worms, stench rolling like an overheated pot left unsupervised.

Funtime Freddy stood, clunky feet not used to moving in such an articulate way.

He stepped out, heel-toe, heel-toe.

"Welcome one and all to pirate cove-ove-ove!" Foxy stood in front of the doorway to the laser tag arena. He could feel Foxy trying not to stare from under his eyepatch out of sheer awe and terror.

Funtime Freddy attempted to walk again, but the rotund plated body felt heavier than before. He felt like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving.

Speaking of aggressive poultry, Chica was still in the kitchen, hitting a shrieking bunny upside the head with a pizza paddle.

Funtime Freddy growled at them through the 'Employees Only' door porthole, face plates twitching with a snapping tension, and the two dreadful children shied away with whimpers, having seen the damage the pink bear had caused to their contemporary.

A ballerina spun to him, eyes sealed shut. She placed her hands so close, making his plastic skin tingle. She twirled away, gone again like a memory of a ray of light.

A clock made his round ears buzz and ring loudly, along with the sounds of children yelling and confetti falling.

And then he fell sound asleep, jerking back to an empty backroom that reeked of death and shit.


	48. A Loving Father

Well now, someone's rather feisty. He stood in his work purple clothes in the early morning light. Henry wouldn't be here for another two or three hours.

He had time.

Freddy lay on the work table, rotting.

William shoved her back into the walking tomb. This was fine. He schlepped the offal back into the cavity lovingly shooing flies as they fucked on her guts, laying eggs that would hatch into such dreadful creatures like maggots and worms that continued the circle of life. He welcomed them, but for now they were in the way.

And wasn't that the greatest honor?

For you to be the host to a circle of life? To create, destroy, and nurture things living in you, your death a sacrifice to their lives, all three thousand miniscule and useless beings?

William dug around in the messy bits, looking for displaced hydraulics.

Henry didn't know William could do this. No, not at all. Henry was the mechanic, the engineer. And Henry didn't want to know his best friend was capable of this. Besides, Henry wanted all the glory and joy of creation to himself.

William smiled and cooed. "Where does it hurt, sweetie?"

He carefully placed his hand around a springlock, and pulled it back with a loud, sloppy, "squish!" and a snap.

He'd replaced hydraulics before.

It was far easier than Henry led people to believe.

William had once upon a time, replaced the golden bear's jaw hydraulics with stronger ones to see what would happen.

It resulted in blood and his youngest son's death. How...

….unfortunate.

William could tell it was rotting, but wasn't sure how far along she was. His smell had never been his expertise.

His sense of smell was like a very dull knife.

Painfully useless.

William tenderly stitched the fursuit back together. He mended the giant teddy bear by replacing an arm joint.

"Mr. Afton?"

William turned on his heels, wiping his hands on a shop towel, black dripping like juice from a ripe tomato.

"Maggie!" He smiled brightly, excited to see the young lady. "What are you doing here so early?"

Maggie stood in the doorway, looking like a faun in the headlights of a very large truck by the name of William Afton. She stared at him, for once at a total loss for words, no insults or rude comments left as her knees knocked together at the sight of William's beautiful, wonderful creation.

"I-I was told t-to come early a-and check the offices for s-something s-sir..." He advanced forward. William could hear her audibly gulping as she tried to hold breakfast down in the cold ball of her stomach.

"You did a good job on all the costumes we needed for the girls." William could see Maggie shaking. He didn't really need her anymore, now that he thought of it. Besides, no one likes a rat. Especially one that stank and didn't keep her mouth shut as she ran around being a little slut from the ghettos around his sons. His sons were perfect now, and soon Maggie would be too. But in a different way. William batted away a few flies.

"T-thank you, s-s-sir." She was paralized.

He smiled wider. "Don't be scared. It will only hurt for just a second, dear."

..._Mangle shifted in her toy box. It was dark.__Where was everybody?__She shifted.__Mangle couldn't feel her arms. Or her legs, maybe they fell asleep?__She opted to stay inside the box. Mangle was to scrambled up to think of anything other than Vinnie right now. She could practically sense him now._


	49. Bad Move on the Right

Izzy woke up, feeling accomplished. She was right. That felt nice.

Especially since today was the day she'd wake up to the sweet sounds of the Custer family being sent to Fort Lebonworth today for embezzling money from several families in the county. And it was all because of Izzy.

Princess woke up next to Lilly. She'd fallen asleep next to her last night while sharing a bed at their sleepover last night. Princess smiled, for once okay with being close to someone and not really ready to let that feeling die. She snuggled back into her pillow.

Dollface looked at the ceiling fan, brain still numb from a hard sleep. Was Uncle Sebbie right when he called her smart but unmotivated the other day at Dillard's? She glanced at her closet, now home to a $250 dress that shifted colors and swirled around her when she danced.

Wolfie opened her bedroom window, loving the fresh air. It was hard to make

friends, and keep them. Last night, she'd decided not to jump out this very window to wander around town and enjoy the quiet, still air. She needed to deliver the newspapers this morning, like Wolfie did every morning.

She felt a little bit more grateful for the world she had made for herself. Even if it seemed just a tad uncomfortable sometimes.

Dolli Mae woke in the woods

She must've taken her blankets to the deer stand last night to gaze at the stars and watch the moon orbit overhead.

Feeling refreshed, she stretched her short arms outwards. She really should stop doing this.

Eh, next summer she would. Maybe she could invite Wolfie over to sleep on the stand with her and watch the universe shift around them in the loud silence of wildlife singing melodies of love.

Thorne awoke with String Bean draped across her. Wouldn't be a sleep over

at her house without that. She patted String Bean's sleeping face as Thorne slowly rose into a sitting position on her bed. She sighed, watching the girl stir in her slumber. They were both a little tall for their age.

Six hours ahead of the American Midwest, was a place a short distance from London, just beyond the fog-cloaked Forrest, was a well-kept manor house. The manor was one of timeless Victorian beauty, for the butler, a good man, had made it so for the protection of the Lord and his wife inside.

The head of the house, a short man by the title of Earl was in his drawing room, conversing with his aunt, Lady Midford.

The Earl was but a lad of thirty three, while his aunt was an uppity woman in her fifties. She was a toned, strong woman, as she had retained the beauty of her youth through a strict and rigorous exercise program consiting of swordplay and the more ladylike sports of dancing and horseback riding.

"And when shall I meet this child of yours?" The Marchioness asked with a hidden venom.

"When you refer to 'it' as something other than a mistake." The Earl said evenly. He was not impressed by his aunt's remarks, and was annoyed by her lack of interest in his small family's welfare.

"And pray, where has your wife run too?" The Marchioness asked. The butler,

a tall, slender man by the name of Sebastian, silently poured hot tea into her cup.

"Marion has returned to her town of birth to visit our daughter."

The Marchioness sighed. "The temptress that stole you from my dear little daughter has run home to her own. Motherhood does that to one."

"She is not a temptress. I was never interested in your daughter, my dear cousin Lady Elizabeth." The Earl replied. His blue eye stared at the Marchioness without mercy. The other eye had been severely damaged at a young age, and stayed hidden behind an eyepatch. The Marchioness held his gaze with her steely blue-gray eyes.

When word got out that the teenaged Earl of sixteen years, had plans of marrying a girl other than his preordained beloved instead of employing her as mistress, the Marchioness had gone wild with rage. Even suing her nephew.

The girl married anyway, and went home to the states for the birth. It was safer for the baby girl to live with her mother's parents, both poor and untitled. No one would notice the daughter of a guard dog in among the small town personalities. The Earl took a sip from his cup of tea.

"Earl Grey?" He looked to his butler. Sebastian nodded. The Earl placed the teacup down upon the saucer, and brushed brushed his dark hair from his good eye. It fell to the patch over his right eye.

The Marchioness cocked her head, seeing an opening for her expectations to fit in. "And where is the pomade I sent for your birthday last December."

"Used it up and never bothered to send for more." A lie through his teeth. He preferred the fringe hanging over his square face and into his eyes.

His aunt pursed her lips and squinted. "Ciel Phantomhive, you are not a little boy anymore. You must act your age and give up this silly dream of yours. Just make that woman your mistress and marry Lizzie."

"But, my good lady, this is not a dream, so I implore you to give up yours. If anything, this ordeal is a favor." He said, leaning forward and resting

his chin on his hands, unusual smile curling the edges of his lips, "The contract written by my late parents hands the power I refuse to keep to

Lizzy's future children when I die. My daughter may never have the power herself, but her cousins will."

Checkmate. Marchioness Francis Midford glared, once again, left utterly defeated.


	50. End of the Line

Jeremy approached the desk. He'd spent the day working his week job as cashier at K-Mart. The money from the register went missing when he was on his shift, but the store couldn't care less.

The little town was surrounded by corn, beans, livestock, and trailer parks. His mother was the cross-eyed bimbo who shuffled from trailer park to trailer park, sometimes remembering to take her grotty son with her.

Wolfie Sanchéz had rolled past him on his way to the nightshift. Wolfie wasn't supposed to be out after ten, but there she was on her skateboard, sneaking out after hours.

Jeremy Fitzgerald wouldn't say anything. He never did. Besides, he never went to church.

Not in his life, ever.

He was gonna go to hell anyway, why kid himself.

Anyway.

It wasn't his problem, and the eerily polite Sanchéz family never asked him about anything.

Jeremy stood in the office. Afton's office, to be specific.

What was that on the wall? He tripped over a set of golf clubs trying to get to what looked like a gun safe mounted beside the wall, realizing that there weren't any windows anywhere inside the building.

Like, at all.

And there was tons of room for them, too.

Jeremy set the free-standing red and purple bag upright and put the clubs in, not sure which went where and that Afton wouldn't notice.

Once righted and more careful in the dark, Jeremy pulled out his cheap flashlight on the keys he'd received as a janitor when the place was still Friendly Bear's Pizza Parlour and shone the dull beam onto the safe. He actually really liked being a janitor, even now when even more kids were showing up and making things sticky. Something about knowing where to be and what to do felt nice and being left alone most of the time was a bonus.

But he was right.

Definitely a gun safe.

Small town, everyone owns one. Hell, this county boasts one of the best junior sharp-shooters in the whole damn county. But why on earth would anyone bring their guns to work? Especially here? Where there were kids and at least one overworked security guard.

Jeremy had to check. It seemed Mike hadn't seen this before the call Jeremy had received yesterday.

He brushed a greasy hand on the spokes wheel and let out a "hmmmmm..."

Combination lock. Where was the code?

Code, code, code, ah!

Ah-hah!

Jeremy ran to the security office.

He pulled out a drawer and pulled out a yellow sticky-note, triumphant smile on his stubbled, unwashed face. He ran back to the office, out of breath.

Grass really took it from ya!

He rotated the dial.

93-87-78. Open sesame!

Guns. Both large pistols.

But like, why? It's a children's restaurant, and the only reason it would be needed ever was if there was an intruder and Mike needed to be armed.

But Mike didn't know about this, right?

Even the security book Mike was using to log evidence of this unusual case Jeremy had been obsessively flipping through earlier had scribbles of what this could be for.

Jeremy shuffled a few ammo boxes around. No notes, nothing. He closed the door with a creak.

Should he call someone?

But like, who?

Jeremy was already threatened with criminal charges for drug possession, so that was a big fat nope from the police. He turned, making sure the safe door was locked and reset to zero where he'd found it as he hurried back to the security room. He pulled out an unlit weedstick.

He'd need it, to calm his nerves, maybe even think a little, never mind it would slow his brains and stupify his thoughts, liquidizing his brain into a pile of mush after a day or so being clean.

If Jeremy was paying attention, he would've noticed the giggle of a girl as something slithered behind him.

And then, it wrapped it's metal body around him like a snake on a rat, blunt falling from his open mouth with a scream, a battery shocking him until his heart exploded in his chest like a wet and heavily damaged dirty red balloon.

His blood spewed from his gaping jaw onto a discarded toy dog as the metal snake fox ripped out his frontal lobe with her teeth, scream echoing in her plastic skull as Jeremy's eyes rolling back, falling to the floor. The monster's metal shriek that had startled the janitor turned cashier, turned short-lived night watchman.

'That shit turns people into animals, Jeremy.'


	51. On Saints and Sinners

_It had been simple.__Sebastian didn't like the one chosen for his master.__So he snatched one and pulled it into the Victorian timeline of his master like a blink.__Blink and Marion was gone.__Marion didn't even notice at first._

_She didn't even realize who Sebastian's master was.__Both were naive, with very little experience in people, making it easier.__And the young master's reaction to finding out about the girl was perfect. Listen to her parents and marry Marion.__And tell the traditional system of lords and ladies to sod off.__Marion came home from England after a one night stand during winter break, and would soon return after the effects of said one night stand wore off, marrying beforehand to make it a legal child instead of a bastard daughter.__Sebastian promised he would never make that mistake again, but how it seasoned the soul he planned for dinner._

Wolfie yawned.

"Sleep well?" Her mother asked, pouring coffee into Pastor Sanchés's mug. Wolfie nodded.

That's the Sanchés family for you. They were the perfect, smiling, suburban family you see in magazines or fliers for Jehovah's Witness without being in them.

They went to church with the Cowatches every Sunday to watch Wolfie's dad drone about some guy in the middle East doing magical stuff. Wolfie always ditched Wednesday night youth group during the school year to hang with Dolli Mae. The girls would roll around town on bikes, or boards, or even blades, hoping no one would notice any absences.

Wolfie's parents didn't know this, of course. She'd lose what little freedom or trust she had if they did by lying to them a lot more than anyone should to their parents. She kinda felt bad at first for sneaking around like some fiend, but now she couldn't care.

Like the costumes made for the Fazbear Girls. Wolfie's parents would never let her step foot inside the restaurant or hang with her friends ever again if she told them. Her parents had signed all permissions, thinking she was going to be a cute little costume with her cute little friends singing cute little songs to cute little children and serving pizza and wiping down

tables.

At her first middle school dance, they'd told her to 'Leave room for Jesus!' so, the thought of them finding out that the Fazbear Girls were starting to gravitate away from that and Wolfie was wearing the tight black jumpsuit with stripes and a pair of her hidden stilettos was not going to be taken lightly. They didn't approve of 'play violence', either, so explaining the laser tag arena dressed like a pirate ship was also a no-no..

So of course Wofie's parents shouldn't know about Wolfie's day job. Wolfie grabbed her roller blades, using the laces to drape the wheeled shoes over her boney shoulder. The other held a satchel of newspapers.

Once outside, she took off down the street after binding them to her feet, taking in the air before the mid-July heat set in. She gripped the bag of newspapers on her shoulder. The Fourth of July had felt like forever ago.

And so did the last day of school, now that Wolfie thought of it, catching a glimpse of her overlined blue eyes reflected in a freshly cleaned window pane displaying Funtom playsets, like Noah's Arks and Carousels.

Man, time just flew in this town

Dollface and Dolli Mae were at the range this morning, and Princess was dancing in the studio. Thorne was probably with String Bean too, leaving Wolfie to herself today.

Sigh.

Nothing to do.

Not.

A.

Damn.

Thing.

Maybe Izzy? Eeehh, Wolfie felt more like a loner today, plus Izzy mentioned something about accounting.

Now that she actually had friends, Wolfie didn't know what to do with them. She finger combed her hair to the side more, right over her eyes like the girls on MTV, a rare, scandalous treat she got at Dolli Mae's place.

She liked to listen to Dolli Mae talk, especially when they were supposed to be at youth group or in study hall.

Dolli Mae wanted to be a nurse. Wolfie loved hearing the passion Dolli Mae got in her voice whenever she talked about healing people.

Wolfie was starting to suspect something about herself, but decided to keep it in. She was already a disgrace for a pastor's daughter in the small town, and if they ever found the photos they signed and received money for distributing throughout the state, there would be a real HELL to pay. And if she ever told or gave in, she'd be sent straight down to the final circle without a fighting chance.

Wolfie feared parents wouldn't like that potential piece of herself that wanted to wave a pink, purple, and blue flag whenever she saw Dolli Mae happy. That would be for later, she decided.

Much, much later.

Wolfie tossed a newspaper onto a yard as she sped past. One down, so many more to go. This week was full of rehearsals for a new location opening in Branson, and they'd have to be there for it. They already had promotional

pictures in the alternative pink and white costumes.


	52. Chicken Feed

Izzy stepped out into the early Morning sun with her chicken feed in her flowing dress, feeling comfort. Her chicken shack had started as a 4-H project but ended up as a mild obsession and fascination.

What's wrong with a mild god-complex? Izzy didn't bring it anywhere else and she won awards for it. Including cash prizes.

Princess did the genetic side of the complex, Izzy did the statistics.

Into the little cage the animal loving Betty Boop went. Izzy tossed the feed around her feet, watching the tiny Bantam hens rush around her skirts like minnows in a pond.

"Lurk, lurk lurk, luuuurrrrk!"

Izzy couldn't help but giggle at them and their silly little feet as they scurried around, only thinking of their stomachs.

She gently picked one up. It was part of the selective breeding challenge she was given a few years ago in 4-H.

The Frizzy Izzy. It was so close to perfect. It even won a blue ribbon at the fair last month. Two more generations and the tiny chicken would be the grandmother of the best darn Banty Chicken Breed ever selectively chosen, ruffled brown feathers, miniscule eggs all.

She was also discussing with Ben how to make a very tiny, curly cow. How much milk-fat was needed for ice cream again?

Tanaka had rarely been needed. The only time he had, was when a burglar had broken into the wrong house. He had easily taken him down, dragging the home intruder unconscious into the street.

Tanaka had then gone to the sweet little girl's room and pulled the cover farther up, as it had slipped down in her sleep as she slept peacefully with a giant teddy bear. Well, her tempurement was sweeter than his master's when Tanaka's master had been that age.

Tanaka had never been worried though.

Eustace was a good man, and had once been provoked so badly that he had hog tied a drunk and disorderly fiend with industrial zip ties, then dragged him to the two person police department personally, angry and appalled at the threat to his wife and granddaughter.

But until the next time he would be necessary, Tanaka would stay put and garden.

And garden, he did.

It was an exceptional garden, one that resembled the ones of his childhood, but recreated with Midwestern wildflower natives. Tanaka could smell something in the air as he wandered the winding cobblestone paths and sipped his green tea, and it wasn't his hydrandias.

Something was coming, and he could tell in his old, tired bones that he would be needed.

But for now, he needed to continue investing in his flower shop. Change didn't mean he had to give up his independent source of pay, after all.


	53. Domestic Dispute

_The Marionette was a dancing puppet that chose sides in life. It was never their fault. It shifted in the gift box.__The music box lulled the noodle monster away from life and into an aware stupor. It could see, hear, think, but not stand and carry on with itself.__The others are like animals, but I'm not. I am very aware.__And right now, it was aware of the restless slumber of an army_

….

Raina spun to Mike, and grabbed his red tie and pulled with a lusting grin. The man in the white tux grabbed her wasp-like waist as their embrace turned into a twisted waltz to the sound speakers embedded in their chests.

The circus king had his queen back. And the tall, agile, Polish ballerina was a real queen, in all senses of the word.

"Where ya been, bitch?"

"I've been around." Raina answered. "Had to get a ride first."

Neither were quite the same as when they were alive. Raina dug her nails into his neck, laughing at the sensation of his black motor oil leaking out onto her manicured hands like sticky black ink. He growled, and grabbed her arm with more force than necessary.

Bonnie and Chica, both usually bickering, cowered in the corner, unsure of

what this would bring. Freddy thumped forward, trying to move past. She bumped into them and let out a squeal of fear.

"Shaddup fuckface!" Mike threw the shaggy mechanical dog, hitting the ragged girl in the face. Shaggy Dog squealed as well, not used to this treatment.

Freddy toppled into Chica and her fluffy yellow dress and immaculate curls. Chica bit her torn lip to keep quiet. Bonnie grabbed Freddy's shoulder to steady her, suddenly showing sympathy he had seemingly lost after being stuffed brainless in a trunk. Freddy's braids drooped, dull and lacking

life.

The three trembled in the corner, and Shaggy Dog stood in front, tiny and useless looking as he growled with static at the giants, angrier than he used to be. Mike let go of Raina and punted the dog. It flipped into the air and landed on his feet with a yelp, sprinting stiffly on all fours to pounce on the ballerina.

"Damn mutt!" She shouted, ripping it off of her in a shower of sparks and black ink. Mike took no notice of his wife's pain, instead advancing on the huddle.

He knelt, giving a warm, friendly smile.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you Freddy." He reached into his suit jacket and offered a lollipop, "Can y'all forgive me?"

Freddy looked at him, artificial blue eyes behind a real face krinkled and scared. She trembled, completely paralized after being taken apart and put back together all over again.

"Come on, go ahead, don't be shy." She reached out a shaking hand and tried to take the cheap sucker from his paw-like hands. Freddy was too scared not to take it from his paw.

Just as her brown hand brushed against the candy he grabbed her, evil washing back over him as he ripped the girl from the hands of the children like a dollie. He lifted the little bear cub girl and dropped her on her intricately braided head. She started bawling from the pain. Mike tossed the sucker at her as she curled up on the ground with a canned laugh from a laugh track like from a sitcom.

All that for something that wasn't even a Funtom lollipop!

"Shut up you screwy rat!" Raina shouted at her, making Freddy's wails of despair worse. Bonnie huddled closer to Chica. For once, Chica didn't push him off or use it as an opening to burp loudly in his ear. Instead, she looked at the crescent scars on his pale, drawn out neck.

They were just like hers.

Or the ones on everyone else in the rooms' neck.

"S-sir?"

"Whaddya want?" Mike snapped. Bonnie felt like he was standing in front of the third grade class again, melting into his too-small shoes. "W-where's

Foxy?"

"Probably getting laid." Mike snorted.

"Ummm..." Chica gripped Bonnie's arm, nails digging into his shoulder.

"He's fucking like a typical teen boy." Raina retorted in that screechy voice of hers. The children weren't sure what either meant, but were too afraid to ask at this point.

"Scat! Beat it!" Mike shouted.

The children ran, Chica nearly tripping over herself from sheer terror. Bonnie was surprised he didn't pee himself like in second grade when he

sneezed during quiet time and everyone turned to look at him. Shaggy Dog followed with animalistic whimpers of unbridled fear.

This wasn't right.

Why was Mike being so mean?

Maybe they shouldn't have played so rough with him?

_The Marionette stayed in their box. It didn't concern them for now_.


	54. Storybooks

"How have you been?"

Dollface sat down in front of ice cream lady. "I'm doing fine. How 'bout you?"

"Been good." Puck said. She must have a lot of black dresses because she was wearing one now.

"Don't you ever get hot?"

"Why do ya think I stay here most of the time?" Puck smiled. Puck's smile was so pretty. Her laugh was too, like a Greek statue come to life.

"What's your real name?" Dollface asked. Puck smiled bittersweetly.

"Most people just called me Puck, but you are the first person to call me that in a very long time."

"Oh." Dollface looked at her hands. She had a rehearsal soon, and then she'd be doing the real thing tomorrow night. She had a few complaints about her costume, but for the life of her, Dollface just couldn't find Maggie. Maggie probably went back to L.A. without telling her. Maggie didn't seem to like Dollface very much, or at least not enough to tell her much. That was fine by her, because an enemy is just a friend you haven't met quite yet. She decided she would just get used to it.

"I have a show soon. It's not in the Big City, though." She mumbled.

Puck looked at her. "That sounds exciting."

Dollface could see Puck's hand on the book adorned with a ring. Presumably a wedding ring. It looked expensive.

Why would this lady wants to talk to her? Did the novelty of a poor person got her up in the morning?

"Where is it then?" Puck asked. Dollface avoided eye-contact Puck was trying to give her. Her eyes where big and blue.

"Branson."

"That's amazing." Puck breathed. "I could only dream of that."

Dollface looked out the window, feeling very peculiar.

"Yeah, I guess." Dollface looked at the ring on her own, tiny hands that she fidgeted with when she wasn't doing so with the man's watch on her arm. She felt both comfortable and at unease near this ethereal woman who read books and talked about magic and mysteries so far from her own little world. Like Mr. Tanaka.


	55. I Scream

"How have you been?"

Dollface sat down in front of ice cream lady. "I'm doing fine. How 'bout you?"

"Been good." Puck said. She must have a lot of black dresses because she was wearing one even now.

"Don't you ever get hot?"

"Why do ya think I stay here most of the time?" Puck smiled. Puck's smile was so pretty. Her laugh was too, like a Greek statue come to life.

"What's your real name?" Dollface asked. Puck smiled bittersweetly.

"Most people just called me Puck, but you are the first person to call me that in a very long time."

"Oh." Dollface looked at her hands. She had a rehearsal soon, and then she'd be doing the real thing tomorrow night. She had a few complaints about her costume, but for the life of her, Dollface just couldn't find Maggie. Maggie probably went back to L.A. without telling her. Maggie didn't seem to like Dollface very much, or at least not enough to tell her much. That was fine by her, because an enemy is just a friend you haven't met quite yet. She decided she would just get used to it.

"I have a show soon. It's not in the Big City, though." She mumbled.

Puck looked at her. "That sounds exciting."

Dollface could see Puck's hand on the book adorned with a ring. Presumably a wedding ring. It looked expensive.

Why would this lady wants to talk to her? Did the novelty of a poor person got her up in the morning?

"Where is it then?" Puck asked. Dollface avoided eye-contact Puck was trying to give her. Her eyes where big and blue.

"Branson."

"That's amazing." Puck breathed. "I could only dream of that."

Dollface looked out the window, feeling very peculiar.

"Yeah, I guess." Dollface looked at the ring on her own, tiny hands that she fidgeted with when she wasn't doing so with the man's watch on her arm. She felt both comfortable and at unease near this ethereal woman who read books and talked about magic and mysteries. Like Tanaka.

But why did Puck chose her?


	56. The Gretest Show Unearthed

"Woah!"

_Stomp!_

_Stomp, stomp!_

"Woah!"

_Stomp stomp_! The roar of the automated circus filled the stage of a Sister location to Freddy's, nearly drowning everyone out on a Friday night sometime in the far, far future. Puck was jounced from her seat by the sheer force of the chanting and stomping of an overzealous crowd.

"Woah!"

_Stomp_! The crackles of the circus bore into her ears as the music paused to allow tension to build. "Woah"

_Stomp stomp clap_!

Puck felt excited like a little girl back when she was in high school pep rallies before she had to drop out early in her junior year. It had been a long time since she felt like she was soaring.

"Woah" Every stomp pulled her in. The sheer noise of commotion forced her to stomp along with the audience as the circus warmed up. It affected the people like birds on a wire, slaves to their own emotions.

"Woah."

_Boom. BOOM BOOM_! It rattled her ribcage. Puck smiled deviously. She was glad she remembered to record this on her phone so her husband could see it later.

"Woah"

A recorded orchestra started playing high and fast, making her heart race like the past Fourth of July had. This was the firework show she'd wanted and was about to receive.

"Woah!" The audience had long since joined in singing the single word and making noise. "Woah!"

It was suddenly quiet.

No music, no roars of animatronic lions or bears, and no suspenseful drums and rumbling basses. The audience began to whisper, when suddenly a spotlight hit a single point on a curtain. Puck craned her neck to find where the silhouette was projected from.

The audience held its breath around her.

"Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for." The silhouette of a girl was projected onto the wall of the colosseum style building. And she was singing. The shadow slammed her cane against the floor and changed poses, pointing her body to the left.

"Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking' through the floor." A different voice sang as a new silhouette was lit on the left, one of a ballerina in bunny ears, leg up in the air like a children's book cover. The first silhouette slammed her cane and reposed again, this time to her right, signaling the next girl.

"And buried in your bones, there's an ache that you can't ignore." A curvy girl holding something sad sweetly. Puck squinted, trying to see what it was. And jumped at the next cane slam. The girl in a ruff and top hat pointed again, ballerina joining with a new pose.

"Taking your breath, stealing your mind." Another one, someone in a long coat with a pirate hat and a large hook. Puck was enamored, impressed that these girls had the audience eating out of their hands and listening like this.

It had to have taken months to learn this!

"And all that was real is left behind!" The last girl was lit, someone in a one piece and seven inch heels. Her outline was so neat and symmetrical. It was...

Mesmerizing.

"Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya," the silhouettes grew as they walked in lockstep away from the heat of the spotlights in hidden doorways, all entering together. "It's only this moment, don't care what comes after," they'd were in perfect rhythm and time, as they came into view. Puck gasped, recognizing the first girl with the cane and top hat as she hugged the teddy bear the last girl to appear had handed her.

"Your fever dream, can't you see it getting closer?" It was Dollface in a short lace ruff around her neck sauntering in gogo boots. She was all legs in her hotpants.

Puck found her skin crawl when her eyes lay on the electric pink offenders.

"Just surrender 'cause ya feel the feeling' taking' over!" Dollface shouted, grabbing the girl in the yellow dress's hand and spinning her without picking her feet up from her spot.

"It's fire, it's freedom, it's flooding open," the ballerina in the blue and purple tutu dipped then spun in her bunny ears, perfect grace in her pom-pom adorned Pointe slippers and rose-gold glasses.

"It's a preacher in the pulpit and you'll find devotion," Dollface sang, truest of passions in her voice. Puck watched the girl who'd been in the box contort her body into a knot then roll out of it, landing in the stiletto boots. That explained the tight black jumpsuit. It still made Puck's skin crawl. She had to wonder whether the teenager's parents had even consented or even saw it.

"There's something breaking at the brick of every wall, it's holding all that you know." The pastel pirate swirled her long coat. Puck clutched the toy bear, watching the glitter on their skins glimmer in the lights of the tiled circus ring. "So tell me do you wanna go?"

The music forced itself around the snare drums rattling away.

"Where it's covered in all the colored lights," the lights changed, becoming a swirl upon the Big top. "Where the runaways are running the night!" Dollface lifted her pink opera gloved hand, then her blue one, grabbing the hand of the ballerina and the girl in yellow carrying the cupcake. She sounded like she was going to cry from pure, unbridled pride and excitement.

"Impossible comes true, intoxicating you," Dollface lit up in ecstasy. Puck smiled despite her discomfort. It would be okay, Puck's parents had consented to this, obviously, and she had seen worse on children's dance competitions and instagram.

"Oh, this is the greatest show!" The girls shouted together. It dazzled the crowd with the electricity. "We light it up, we won't come down, and the sun can't stop us now!"

Puck saw the look on the Fazbear Girls faces. It was a bittersweet expression to see on teen girls, biting back of gleeful tears even as they realized nothing would ever be the same again. Her gut dropped, hearing the man in the red and black cloak sitting next to a watchdog with a flared helmet mutter that he wanted to book a show for his birthday. That was when Puck realized that the Fazbear Girls weren't meant for kids. They never

were.

Look at how they were marketed, posed on cars or standing next to animatronics in corduroy vests and miniskirts with too much colorful makeup.

Puck suddenly felt guilty, realizing she'd been a terrible mother.

"Watching it come true, it's taking over you!" Dollface lifted her face plastered in red and pink and blue, painted lips forming the words with her candy colored friends. "Oh, this is the greatest show!"

After that number was the bunny ballerina's dance to Circus by Britanny Spears and Ramalama Basng Bang. Puck had to admit it was impressive to watch her.

Then the pirate did some knife tricks with the girl in the striped bodysuit, and then a show with clowns, including a piece where one with pigtails and an eye-searingly red dress gave an audience member ice cream. Puck notice time shift halfway through the clown segment, changing and melting the audience from a menagerie of human-alien species to a regular crowd of families. Puck watched, heart sinking as she watched Dollface attempt to pull the hem of her shorts down and fail. Dollface continued on with her little speech, then cracked a whip to summon an animatronic lion with its tamer and a drummer in a Freddy Fazbear suit.

She'd have to show this footage to Ciel. Situations like these where his specialty, regardless of country. It could probably be considered in his jurisdiction now.


	57. Nyctophobia

The Fazbear Girls stood in the dark lobby after a very long ride back to the small town Freddy's, their home base. Tonight had been a success, but now something felt off in the darkened building.

"Somethin' is very wrong here." Dollface said, stating the obvious as she stood near the empty stage. The animatronics were probably in a back room somewhere for tonight.

"Where is everyone?" Princess asked, clipping her crown back into her hair over the bunny headband after releasing her hair from it's rolled prison. It was getting crowded on her head, especially with the addition of the bun. She nervously fluffed her curled and sprayed bangs.

"Yeah, seems like even t'bots 're gone." Dolli Mae said, squirming. "I'm gonna go t'the bathroom."

She bounded to the girl's bathroom without another word.

Dollface put her blue hand on her hip, staring at the poofy sleeve on her shoulder and counting the pink and red beads.

"Where did Henry and Afton go?" Dollface asked aloud to herself, unconsciously touching the buzzed side of her head with her pink hand. "Like, what's even the point when they have t'take us home?"

"I dunno man." Wolfie said. "What time is it? They said they'd drop us off at home or whatever."

"Midnight exact." Dollface answered. Getting a nosebleed in the car had been annoying, but luckily Henry had tossed up a pack of travel tissues to her.

"Seriously?" Izzy asked. She started to look worried. "That show was later than we thought. Didn't Afton say he was goin' take us home or somethin'?"

"Hey, ssh!" Dollface hushed. "What's that sound?"

They listened. Dolli Mae ran screaming from the bathroom and back into the main party room.

"Ohmigawdohmigawdohmigawd!" She slammed into Wolfie and hugged the rail thin girl around the waist and squeezed, stammering.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Bunny! Bonnie! Bathroom!" Dolli Mae spluttered.

"Hey, chill." Wolfie said, placing her hands on Dolli Mae's shoulders to reassure her.

Princess puffed out the sleeves on her new blue leotard. "Let me see this!"

She grabbed a prop guitar leaning against the stage and raised it as she stalked to the bathroom down the hall. Princess screamed flatly and ran. Bonnie waddled after her, too fast to be normal.

"Oh cheese!" Dollface yelled as Princess bashed the guitar on the bunny's indigo purple head. Bonnie fell, still moving, like a beached whale.

"Hey, what is this?" Izzy walked over and picked up a note.

"93-87-78?" Izzy shrugged, handing it to Dolli Mae.

"Looks like a safe code. I think I saw a cabinet in Henry's office." Dolli Mae pocketed it into her duster.

"What," Princess stared at Bonnie trapped on his back like a bug. "What just happened?"

"Arf! Arf!" A toy dog? Dollface grabbed it and lifted it up. It writhed and tried to bite her with its useless jaws.

Ew.

It smelled like old Cheetos and skunk. She dropped it and it fell with a squeak at her white booted feet.

"I think we need to split up." Dollface said. She pulled off her white heeled boots and pulled on her combat boots. She placed the chunk heels on the table next to her, feet throbbing. "Princess, make sure Bonnie stays down. Dolli Mae, check out that safe, might be something important in there."

She looked around. "Something tells me we're trapped in here and no one's coming for us anytime soon."

She sighed, looking out the front windows behind her and seeing not a single lost soul floating like a discarded plastic bag. "Izzy, check the lights and head to the kitchen, I swear I hear something in there. And Wolfie, check Prize Corner. I'll get anything else on my way to security."

Izzy tried to hit a switch. "No go here! What about windows?"

"Yeah, we're trapped, no doubt 'bout that." Dollface stomped her foot, then tossed a quarter she aleays had for emergency calls to Princess. Princess nodded in understanding and ran to the pay phones. "No windows in this damn buildin' too."

Other than the ones over there in the entryway."

"No go!" Princess shouted when she couldn't hear a dial tone on the three pay phones.

"Well then ladies." Dollface looked at all the grave faces around her, "Welcome to the Jungle."


	58. Compare and Contrast

Ciel compared the clips he'd been sent from last year and the promotional photos.

"Whaddya think?"

He stared, flipping between Dollface standing next to a street corner band in a bomber and hot pink beanie singing about the House of the Rising Sun to the video of the Fazbear Girls. He picked up a photo, still not answering Marion's question.

Dollface was draped on a yellow muscle car covered in yellow dots in a short skirt smiling.

"Yeah, this is illegal."

Marion leaned on him in the small B'nB bed.

"Sebastian, what do you think of this?" The Earl held a picture of the Fazbear Girls posing around on a car, rabbit laying seductively in front, comedically. Sebastian brushed his black hair from his brown eyes.

"Seems like the rabbit is a comic relief to distract from these outfits." Sebastian put on his wire-rimmed reading glasses and grabbed another picture, one of the girls in the yellow swing dress next to the chicken. "Definitely not meant for the children."

"Look here." Ciel pointed at a new picture, the girl with bunny ears and the tight sweater next to a blue rabbit. "This is a classic. Suggest, don't show."

"Yeah, that hem is questionable." Marion said, looking at the tight contouring sweater and the grey skirt hitting at the knee.

"These boots too." Sebastian inspected the pirate in red. "Just appropriate enough."

Marion stared at the puppet girl with the bands and the front facing zipper topped off with a giant button on her chest. "This just ain't right."

"They should be arriving home any minute now." Sebastian muttered, taking off his glasses and placing them back in his tailored coat. He pulled out the white gold pocket watch. "Ten past midnight is the best time to break in and investigate in my opinion."

"That's insane!" Marion exclaimed.

"Yes pet, but it's our best bet. No suspicion, no witnesses... you've done this routine with us before." Ciel said. "We have about ten, fifteen minutes, wouldn't you say, Sebastian"

"That is correct my lord."

"Then it's settled."

Marion picked a white feather from Ciel's blue black hair and put a hand to his arm, remembering his discomfort at touch. "Too wound up to sleep tonight anyway."


	59. A Chicken Fart?

Izzy stood in the kitchen. She breathed in deep as she tightened her grip on the pizza paddle.

Whatever was in the dark was yellow and gross. Flies buzzed around it as it giggled and squeaked, rooting around in pots and pans. It creaked its segmented body and let out a sound that might've been a chicken fart.

Izzy tried not to make a sound as she watched the hulking beast belch loudly, then make another crude fart noise and laugh.

It turned, and stomped to her, arms reached out, beak dangling open. It's yellow hands flexed. It wanted Izzy.

Izzy slammed the pizza paddle into its tiny neck opening. The head fell of Chica as her body slumped to the ground in a shower of sparks over Izzy's orange pumps. And now to guard the body to make sure it didn't stand back up and walk away. The office had a set of clubs, she could use those incase if something else came in.

Wolfie hated this.

She shone her light around the prize room. The music box tinkled, filling the bleeding air with a march. Wolfie stayed alert, knowing something was coming.

"Come." The reflection beckoned from the stage. "Dance with me."

Princess stared at her. "Why?"

"To forget, of course."

"Why?"

"Because sometimes it's fun to just do it." The lady replied, venom behind her melodic voice, "Remember what I taught you?"

Princess looked at Bonnie, scared to turn her back.

"Why?"

The pink eyes glowed in the dark, annoyance starting to show in her voice. "Because."

"Well, why?"

The ballerina looked at her in the dark, "Because you'll like it."

"What if I am not ready to dance with you?" Princess asked. The ballerina lept from the stage and wrenched her hand around Princess's wrist and pulled her to the stage

Dolli Mae unlocked the safe with a rusty squeal and stared at the contents.

Guns.

She grabbed a pistol and its corresponding ammo, hearing something shift and hiss in the halls, then shoved the box of bullets into her pirate coat pocket.

Time to head to the new range.


	60. Let's Party

Dollface searched the second party room.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

Zilch.

Zero.

Just tables.

No animatronics.

Just empty, sheeted tables

She needed to get to security though.

Ah ha!

Dollface tried to remember the layout, and immediately remembered a grate in the next room over.

Perfect.

She just had to get to the other side of the arcade!

Wait, could she hear something approaching?

A deep, rumbling laugh left chills crawling up and down her partially exposed spine. The sheer pink cut-out at the back of her neck and down to her mid-back area was another design choice she had to question Maggie about later if this was to continue on.

Another laugh, now closer to her.

"Hi?" She turned in her black boots, "Hello?"

Something yellow danced away in the corner of her eye with a set of footsteps from clumsy foam feet.

"Hello? Anyone here?" She walked up the aisle of tables with white cloth draped over it, towards the doorway to the next room. "Wah!"

The yellow bear's face flashed into her vision, right in front of her nose and uttered an ear ringing groan of static and grating gears.

Dollface jumped through the hallucination and ran in a dead sprint to the arcade room to meet the owner of the head...

Izzy stood over the decapitated body. The head had fallen off fairly anti-climatically. She knelt. "I'm sorry." She placed her hand on its back. It felt like a really hard teddy bear. She always forgot her own strength, like the time she was helping Dad in the garage and lifted the car too high off the ground to work comfortably...

Wolfie shone her light around the room. Still nothing. She sat on the box,

legs crossed. If it weren't for the tension wafting around her, she'd be out of her skull from sheer boredom….


	61. Let's Play

"Now whoever thought a skylight in a workshop was a good idea..." Marion grabbed Sebastian's gloved hand and let him pull her down to the work table.

"I could see the appeal." Ciel, ever the tinkerer, followed down as Marion hopped from the table. Ciel raised his high-powered torch.

Suit heads.

Suit heads on shelves everywhere.

He slipped down from the table, then walked to a shelf. He grabbed a furry purple, (or maybe it was blue, can't see with one eye in a darkened room,) head and gagged at the spider's nest that had set up shop in the skull full of interlocking mechanisms.

He hadn't been a fan of spiders since that nutcase Aloise happened.

Ciel selected a new head and squinted his good eye into it.

"Hey, wait a second." He could feel Marion look over his shoulder as he shone the torch into the yellow head's neck socket. "That's mine!"

Marion took it from his pale hands.

She studied the interlocking metal bars and locks. "Yeah, it's yours alright."

Ciel knit his brows."This went from pee-does to patent theft."

"The way you say pedos is weird." Marion snorted.

"Hush!" They looked at Sebastian. He was pressed against a wall, looking over his shoulder out the door way. Ciel turned off his torch to join his butler. Marion followed behind.

Something slithered and hissed through the tiled halls past walls plastered

with children's drawings. One head searched the left, the other one, just a metal skull rotated side to side blankly like a security camera. The pink masked head's jaws flapped and snapped, letting out a giggle as it passed.

"Wot the Devil was tha?"

"You're asking me?" Sebastian replied sarcastically...

Dollface screeched and ran behind an arcade machine, golden bear in hot

pursuit. She dropped down behind an arcade machine and crawled forward a

bit, hoping it would give up on its prey.

Silence.

All she could hear was her breathing and the ambience of the building itself.

BAM!

Caught off guard, Dollface screamed as the console was ripped from the wall and pulled over the eight foot bear's head with a roar. She scampered on her hands and knees to the next and the next as each one was thrown away, until she was pinned behind the whack-a-mole machine.

The bear roared in mechanical delight as she tried not to pee her shorts, glad she'd went before they'd arrived.

It thump, thump, thumped around her as she whimpered.

It laughed like a beast, long, deep and slow.

She could hear what sounded like automated…

Breathing.Yes, that was the word.

Breathing.

The game booth creaked and groaned as it was lifted then thrown against the wall with a crash, and Dollface screamed as she was lifted into the air, legs kicking. She pushed her hands against the fur plated face in an effort to stop its opening jaws from advancing as she was pressed against the cold

tile wall...

Izzy squealed.

What was that noise?

Noise, noise, noise! What happened to stealth?!

Izzy gripped the driving club and snuck into the kitchen again, hoping the door wouldn't creak so loudly this time. She tiptoed over the body of the chicken. She was so used to having to be gentle with everything, Izzy had forgotten she could fight back like that.

This chicken wasn't like the ones in her yard, this was like the behemoth her fifth grade self had bought for 4-H, quickly returning and trading it for bantams, and eventually the addition of Marans.

Big, round, and scary. And hopefully, stupid.

She felt bad for it though. It wasn't Chica's fault she was on the floor, decapitated. Izzy lifted Chica's heavy head and placed it on the counter, seating herself next to it.

She ignored the mechanical whirs the body gave off.

It was too unrealistic to get into a standing position, why scare herself. But she was going to stay anyway, things could change, and things could get better.

Or worse, but things were different now, right?


	62. Let's Rock

Wolfie yawned. Wasn't this supposed to be more exciting?

She shifted from her perch on the box.

Lovely.

She shone her flashlight around the room, grimacing at the grinning toys and tee shirts.

Everything in this room was creepier in the dark. She was actually kinda into it.

It felt like a whole new world for her to explore.

The music box had long since stopped it's tune, now leaving this whole new world silent. Wolfie hopped off, not even noticing the contents of the box shifting below her. She stood in her stiletto boots and stretched, the creaking not registering until she was grabbed by the neck and pulled into the inky depths of the box with a screech...

Dolli Mae ducked the incoming hook, then dove between Foxy's brown legs. Foxy turned, swinging his legs back over her to keep Dolli Mae between his legs so he could trap her and get a good look before he struck her again.

She held her hands by her head, watching the hook swing forward, giggling out, "Chase me, Foxy!

Bam!

She kicked him from below with her thigh-highs and rolled away as he howled in pain at the unexpected but effective attack from below, hook embedding itself just where her head had been before she had jumped out from under him.

Good thing she had older brothers who needed a kick like that once in a while!

Dolli Mae dodged behind a plywood dividing wall and Foxy followed behind, now growling with less ferocity.

He sounded almost….

Intrigued.

She leaned forward with an evil smirk. "Can't catch me, big boy!"

He howled indignantly at the taunt, then he narrowed the gold orbs embedded in his face, snout pulling into a grin.

Dolli Mae mirrored the expression on her freckled face, then ducked and dove under his legs again.

Foxy howled in pain, hook caught in the wooden panel and not releasing itself.

He swung his free arm at her, swiping the edge of her pink jacket. Literally tearing away from him, Dolli Mae snatched her white tricorn as she crawled into a standing run, slapping it back onto her head with a laugh as the ribbon trailed behind like a banner.

She dodged behind a painted dividing wall. She needed to start sniping. She patted her around her coat, feeling the familiar bulge of a firearm. Dolli Mae held her breath, green eyes searching for a good hideout.

Mural, mural, ramp, ooh, crows nest. She bristled, hearing another electronic howl from Foxy as he found her. He lunged with a grin.

Dolli Mae sidestepped and giggled despite herself as he hit the mural panel and crashed to the floor. "Oh dear, looks like ya missed again!"

She sprinted to the crow's nest and started climbing the ladder. Once at the top, she pushed it as hard as she could, disappointed in the fact that she couldn't ditch it because it was nailed in place. Oh well, robot pirates can't climb ladders very well. Just never underestimate the cunning of a pirate.

Or a fox, for that matter...

Izzy sat on the counter, hands still wrapped around a pizza paddle handle.

She watched the headless chicken. She hoped her friends were okay. She stood, remembering Henry had a set of golf clubs in his office. Those could be very useful around now.

She stepped around the unusual chicken and skipped out of the swinging door humming merrily to herself. It was a song about the toredor's girlfriend.


	63. Let's Go

Princess stood on the stage next to the woman in blue. She wished she could make the six foot tall dancer in blue disapear in a cloud of pink smoke, but Princess just couldn't concentrate hard enough. Besides, she didn't even know what would happen if she did. The lady smiled at her, needle teeth gleaming between her thin, painted lips, not realizing Princess's thought processes were those of equally ill intent as her own.

Princess shivered, realizing they were matching. "Let go of me. I do not like this."

_Crack_!

The gunshot rattled the building, splitting Princess's sensitive eardrums. The reflection dropped her, head turning to pirate cove, face screwed up like a wine cork, hissing.

_Crack SHOT!_

Princess was dropped hard onto her knees. "Bonnie, get the hell up, it's time to dance."

"Please, just let me go!" Dollface squirmed, pressing her hands against the round cheeks of the bear. It menacingly snapped it's square jaws at her.

She was being pulled closer, and her long legs were pressed against the greasy neon fur and the cold, tiled wall. Dollface gave up words and reason now that she could see into its secondary endoskeleton jaws, and began to scream uncontrollably as she squeezed her black eyes shut, the red lights in the bear's mask searing into her retinas. He pushed himself against her.

_CRACK shot!_

The bear dropped her onto the tiles, Dollface's back scraping the wall. It's segmented body turned, creaking and stretching unnaturally. The noise from deep inside stopped whirring and rumbling.

Dollface panted as she stared up at it, head rested against the cold, tile walls, legs tingling from the smeared floors.

**_Blegch!_** It puked with a lurch, warm blood dripping from its mouth and onto the floor, red soaking into its yellow fur, smelling like metal and rotten bodily fluids as it landed next to Dollface.

Dollface dry-heaved, watching it stumble and stagger away.

Once able to calm down, she crawled to the vent shaft. It was too small for anything undesirable to follow her in, and at this point, escaping the scene of the smell was everything to her. The building was ancient, making it give way easily to a few good kicks to the vent grate's rusty exterior. Now came the hard part, navigating the cramped spaces and staying oriented well enough to get to the security office by army crawling through it.

Good thing Dollface was small and skinny with a flat chest, narrow hips, and a pinched-in waist.


	64. Packing Heat and Hitting Heavy

Dolli Mae laughed, glad she was the fastest girl on the track team by a long shot.

_Blam_! Foxy scrambled, faster than he should be on his fun fur feet. He dived under a platform, arm having been ripped off by the handgun's blows. If it weren't for her speed that was left unmatched by anyone, Dolli Mae never would've made it up here in time!

Dolli Mae squinted, then pulled the trigger, hitting him as he darted, ripping off part of his midsection, revealing metal ribs. She was in control. She had been since she'd jumped in.

_CRACK-shot_!

Again.

Foxy was coming closer, figuring out where his attacker was. Dolli Mae released the magazine and dropped it to the floor several feet below her, ready for her challenge.

Foxy darted closer as Dolli Mae shoved the new magazine in.

_Cracker_!

_Boom CRACK_! Her ears rang as she shouted to the red streak below, "Eat it, furbo!"

The bullet ripped his ear clean off, then she squeezed another bullet through his leg. He just wouldn't quit!

"Woah!" Dolli Mae was dangling from her ankles over the side of the crow's nest, not quite sure how that happened.

"Now I get to play take apart and put back together!" Foxy swiped with his only arm, the hooked one, and snapped his jaws as the pink fox with a familiar girl's distorted voice crackled through the mangle of parts.

"Help!" Dolli Mae screamed. She pulled herself up to her new assailant's face, cheer skills at good use. A mess of old parts wearing a pink and white fox mask snapped it's jaws at her.

Dolli Mae shoved the pistol in its left socket and blew it's yellow eye out, straight to the other side. It's second head screamed and rocked violently as Dolli Mae shot again at the red Foxy.

"He's mine, you bitch!"

Maggie? The voice played over a static filled radio as the maw of the metal beast flapped open and closed vacantly, then shook her toy. Dolli Mae screamed, less a cry for help, but one of war...

Izzy cowered under the industrial kitchen counter.

_Thump, thump, squeeeeek_!

The chicken belched loudly once it stopped, entire torso moving with a buzz as it searched the kitchen. Izzy forgot chickens could last even without their heads.

Crud.

She crawled to hide behind the rolling rack of cups. Then the dishwasher. If only Ben were here! He could save her from this monster.

No, wait.

Izzy tried to remember his words on courage, and realized that she had this.

_Thump, thump, whirrrrrr_.

Izzy jumped out in front of the decapitated body of Chica, club raised as she remembered, "Fore!"


	65. It's Me

"...Please pay no attention to the terrifying screams..." A tenor acapella rolled through Dollface's ears as she army crawled through the vents like Grampa had taught her. "...You should heed the warnings of the voice that's

on the phone..."

It was light, and airy.

"Ugh, I am NOT wearing enough clothing for this, Dollface said as her bare knee scraped against a burr. "Ow!"

"...Tonight you might be by yourself, but you are not alone..." She stopped to breathe. Her left thigh stang, exposed flesh and wounds on the cold metal. She was sure it was bleeding. And her stomach hurt.

Like, a lot.

As in, put every cramp she'd ever had in her life to shame kind of painful. She stopped to breathe, stomach hurting too much to move for the moment. Maybe she pulled something while fighting the golden bear?

Dollface thumped her elbows down and continued to pull herself along.

"...The masks that we wear..." Slow and steady Dollface went with a thump thump thump. The singer was drawing every enunciated word out long and slow. Actually, the man's falsetto sounded familiar as it rang muffled but on-pitch. Dollface dragged forward, once again grateful for once that she had narrow hips, a flat chest and an indented waistline.

"...Pretend they aren't there, but you can only hide for so long, for so

long..."

The red bow on her pink glove caught on a bolt as she pulled forward, arms

against the confining metal walls of the vent. She slammed her head down, cramp flaring up again, and this point any movement was involuntary.

"...Spend the night, then you'll find there's evil that waits inside..."

The voice seemed to guide her to some destination. She hoped it was the right one. The voice sped up.

"...Spend the night, then you'll find there's evil that waits inside..."

Dollface rolled her dark eyes, hoping it would shut up, realizing that as nice as it was, it was kinda annoying. She crawled forward.

Was it gettin' hot in here or somethin'?

"...Spend the night, then you'll find there's evil that waits inside..." Biting back claustrophobia and a bruisey lower body, Dollface reached farther, realizing how little progress she'd made.

"...Spend the night, then you'll find there's evil that waits inside..." Dollface pulled even farther, seeing a dim light ahead like a star on the horizon. It was like her guts were trying to kill her or something!

"There's evil that waits inside, it's me."


	66. Was it You

Princess hid under the stage.

Yes, under the stage.

"Why are you blue? You know I'll be true," Bonnie sang. She could feel him banging on the tiny door she was barricading with her entire body, thumping around as he sang the song of a twisted romantic. "When I make slivers, right out of youuuuu!"

Ew.

Princess rolled her eyes. Sorry Bon, she was taken. And very uninterested. Princess's feet were flexed out from habit right in front of her as her head grated the low ceiling. She tried to concentrate.

"So good to see you again, my truest of friends," Princess needed a weapon, but she needed to lay low for now. "But now your life must end."

Princess wished she could burst through the door and uppercut the Frank Sinatra wannabe without consequences. She couldn't stand his ego and how he kept insisting on romancing then ripping her to pieces.

"Bitch, I am too gay and too old for you!" She shouted through the door. What kind of fetish did Bonnie even have!!? Wasn't he meant for kids?

This encouraged the fluffy bunny to sing louder, "What a fine day, to come here and say that your face, I'll fillet."

Princess was nearly thrown as the door started to be forced open with a loud thump, and she bit back a scream.

She had to now, no choice, even if it was reserved for keeping toddlers out of trouble at her mother's daycare. Princess had even used it on Charlie when she had to babysit instead of Maggie. Maggie had been pissed the money was going to a local buiseness and not her, but what can you do when the baby girl needed friends and attention?

Princess tried to gulp back another screen as the shelter was penetrated with another resounding slam. She lurched forward from the sheer force of a horny rabbit.

"What a treat to come here and meet, I'll sing you a song to your lovely face, as it hits the concrete!"

Princess screamed, then gulped, camo green eyes glazing over and turning into inky pools as the 600 pound bunny was thrown with a wham! to the other side of the giant room and into a tile faced brick wall in a puff of pink smoke. She slammed the door closed and forced her back into it, already hearing the stretching and pulling of a fursuit on an angry blue-violet hare standing and running back to his place nearby.

Princess knew that soon, he'd break in, and only time would tell if she could use that unusual trait again...

"What the hell was that?" Mamie batted the flies from her face. It smelled hella bad in this backstage area.

"I don't know..." Sebastian moved into the hallway, sure the snake-fox was gone. Mamie grabbed Ciel's arm. He stepped forward with her at his side. He was really short. Then again, Mamie was really tall.

Another boom made Ciel jump.

"Time to investigate." Sebastian strolled to where the monster had centipede crawled across the tile. "I do believe the source of the boom would be this way."

"Oh my gawd, hurry!" Mamie shouted, Sebastian having led the way to Pirate's Cove. Mamie had torn away from her husband to the front of the group and swung open the alcoved door. The girl in the coat dangled high in the air by her ankles, the centipede monster they'd seen in the hallway laughing, as the pirate fox tried to tangle the girl's dirty blonde hair in his hook.

The girl slapped a magazine into the large pistol in her hand and squeezed a bullet into the red fox's artificial face. It ripped a whole straight through its head.

She turned on the snake fox and blew its jaw off with a yell. The second head shrieked like the monster under the bed and the creature dropped the girl on to the animatronic still fighting below.

Sebastian leaped, snatching the girl from the air like a baby doll and landed nimbly on the neon shapes carpet below him.

He dropped her to her heeled feet.

She ran with a yell and the sound of gunfire spraying on the monsters from inside the closet, forcing the fox onto its back and spraying the tangle of hydraulics with hot lead.

The pink pirate finally dropped to the floor in a heap, nothing leaving it to dangle from the ceiling.

She opened fire on the fox under her boot.

It laughed like a movie pirate, and let itself go.

"Mother!"

_Crack_!

"Fucking!"

_Crack_!

"Ass!"

_Click_!

"Holes!"

_Click! Click! Click!_

She kept pulling the trigger, going sweeping between the two, too angry to notice the empty magazine. She finally did, shoving the weapon into the red fox's mouth in a shower of sparks, then stomped her heeled shoe into its tiny neck opening, popping its spiked head off in one, clean motion.

She kept stomping until Sebastian grabbed her and lifted her, kicking and screaming. She eventually fell silent, no more fight in her.

He released the pink pirate from his embrace, letting her fall flat.

Mamie rushed over and propped the surprisingly small girl up on her knee. Ciel knelt in front of his wife, girl on her lap.

He held up a picture. "Is this you?"


	67. Was It Me

Dolli Mae's ears rang as she dropped against the lady in black. She nodded, then dragged her arm across her face to wipe off the spittle around her mouth from when she'd screamed angrily.

Dolli Mae replied to the question with a nod. Yes, the girl posing next to the fox was her. It was even signed her new stage name.

"Foxy, we are here to investigate. Can you help us?" the man with the eyepatch asked loudly and slowly in a funny accent.

Owwwww. She wasn't used to going without hearing protection.

Dolli Mae stumbled from her place on the woman's lap and crawled past the man with the eyepatch, pulling her own off. She grabbed her hat, placing it back on her head, and tottered unsteadily to her feet.

Oh man, it was painful but worth it.

But where was everybody?

Ugh, she needed to find them, and fast. Who knows how much longer they each had seperetely?

…..Dollface nearly jumped out of her Elizabethan ruff out of fright when she'd heard the loud series of booms.

She hit her head on the metal ceiling. "Ow, shit!"

The singing stopped.

That's fine.

Another shot had been fired, making the girl brace against the ducts and hurting her back. God, now her back hurt! Dollface reached towards the vent grate. She slapped the heel of her hand on it. Dammet.

She'd have to figure out how to turn in tight corridors.

And without screaming in pain, letting any nearby enemies knowing where she was...

Princess started the dance, hoping Lilly would understand.

The reflection smiled. Princess knew this was what the taller ballerina wanted. She closed her eyes, falling into a spin. The taller lifted her in the air by the waist, allowing time for graceful leg movements.

This was fine.

Everything was fine.

Princess had started dancing for therapy reasons, being too clumsy and unaware of her own body to function.

She was tactile.

They were tactile.

Life had feeling.

She kept her eyes closed, nearly falling from the stage, being dangled by her arm over the tiled floor.

Princess sighed, realizing that she was damned if she did, damned if she didn't...

Izzy whacked the body repeatedly with the driver. It just wouldn't go down! Chica grabbed her. She kicked it's hard, metal body, thinly disguised under fur.

Golf club dropped, Izzy screamed in disgust, looking into the neckhole filled with worms and beatles and sharp, metal springs and wires that clicked open and closed. She felt the cool metal counter dig into her back, and she couldn't help but let out a gasp when the chicken swung her violently away. And then Izzy was slammed down hard onto her butt on the counter, maggot-filled body leaning into her.

Izzy thought she had this under control, so why did she keep staying behind every time when the other girls might need her?

Izzy tried to push the body away, letting herself be strong so she could stall for time...

Wolfie tried to grab the Marionette, but it was too slippery to grab ahold of.

God Dammit!

It wrapped it's thin wiry fingers around her throat as she grabbed it around the infinitely small waist. She tried to shake it and slam it against the lid of the box, zipper ripped down her chest as she suffocated in the stench of the pile of dismembered rats in the cube.

"Let's taste death, again, and again, and again..."

Wolfie could feel it's weight on top of her, digging into her as it smacked her with its wiry tentacles, glad her body was as flexible as a pipe-cleaner...

Dollface was finally positioned in the cramped space of the vent. There had been seemingly no room to turn onto her back, but she finally did it through levels of searing pain. She raised her legs and _bam_!

Again!

_Bam_!

Once more!

_Bam_!

The rusted grate rattled to the floor with a sharp breath of pain. She smiled triumphantly.

It's showtime.


	68. Not-So Funtime Freddy

Foxy slammed the emergency release button under the counter and the lid of the box rose, releasing a girl in a jumpsuit to scramble from its depths, and promptly be dragged back in by the hair with a shriek.

The woman in black corduroy grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her from the clutches of the monster within.

She dropped the girl on her stilettoed feet.

"Two out of five isn't bad." Sebastian pulled another promotional of the girl holding the smiling/crying mask while leaping from a gift box. He grabbed the advancing animatronic and tied it into a knot without a second thought.

Useless.

The black noodle was too delicate to really fight, having opted to use its black rubber fingers to raise welts into its confused victim. Puppet girl panted, said welts up and down her neck and wrists. "Hard t'grab hold of."

Foxy walked to her, away from Marion's grasp. She smiled her tanned face into the Puppet's view.

Foxy grabbed Puppet Girl and hugged her, nearly knocking the hat retrieved from the maze floor off of her head. "Oooooh my gawd."

Once free, Foxy reached and zipped the zipper on Puppet Girl's one-piece farther up.

Must've been pulled down in the struggle. Not enough to show anything other than her sports bra, but definitely not a good thing.

Sebastian turned to his young master.

He was muttering to himself as he pulled a tiny plastic bag from under the prize counter.

"Well now." Ciel said to himself.

"What's that?"

"Cannabis, I believe." He grabbed tweezers from his coat, stopped, then pulled out the shoebox and examined it with his tweezers. "Crystalized Meth, too."

"Curiouser and curiouser." Sebastian purred.

Ciel placed the cardboard lid back on the box, leaving it on the glass counter filled with bright toys, "We need to split up."

Marion pulled the girls to her sides. One for each hand. A two for one deal.

"Sebastian, go with my wife to find the others. I'll investigate further. I have a feeling there's a lot more to find in here."

Mamie nodded, as Sebastian affirmated.

"You can split off from there if necessary," Ciel added. "This is shaping up to be an interesting night."

..."Well hello again, babe' gurl." Dollface turned from the desk monitor. String Bean's uncle Mike loomed over her, smiling.

"Hi?"

He smiled. "Where's my birthday girl?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Dollface twiddled her hair, vaguely aware of the tiny top hat with the red band clipped into it, remembering her birthday was coming up soon.

"How old you gon' be, babe' gurl?"

"Umm." Dollface tried to back away, but hit the desk. She winced at a new cramp in her stomach. He seemed to form from the darkness. A head, then top hat and broad shoulders, a tie...

Dollface pressed further against the table.

"Y'all seem t'be a lil bit weary of BonBon and me." He held up a blue toy rabbit over his large hand. It nodded its raggedy head and waved a paw at her. Dollface gulped.


	69. Can You Survive

Wolfie wrenched the stiletto from the segmented base of Chica's back. Doli Mae grabbed Izzy and helped her down from the counter, Izzy winced, the base of her spine bruised. It would hurt to sit for awhile.

Wolfie hopped around, pulling the black shoe over her striped leg. She stomped, adjusting it back onto her foot.

Dolli Mae smiled, pulling Izzy back to her feet and wrapped the girl's arm around her strong, broad shoulders. Izzy smiled in tired glee at her saviours.

"Okay, girls, we need to leave." A tall woman in corduroy said as a man in a dark suit walked into the kitchen.

The suited one pulled out two pictures and muttered to himself, "Bonnie and Chica. One more to find."

Izzy recognized her stage name and looked upwards to see one of the tallest men she'd ever encountered.

"Bonnie is hiding under the stage like instructed. I believe that would be our only good shelter until we can find Freddy."

Izzy nodded as Wolfie and Dolli Mae chorused a "Right!" at the tall man's instructions.

"I suspect Freddy will be joining us soon, same with the master. But your current safety is the priority for now."

The lady in black looked to Izzy. "Good job on the chicken. Couldn't have done it without you."

Izzy smiled, feeling very proud of herself.

Even if her butt hurt too much to walk very well...

"W-what big teeth! Yes teeth, you have, Mr. Schmidt!"

"There's someone behind me, isn't there?"

Dollface gulped, then shook her head unsteadily, "N-no, no one's here, just

us!"

She tried to back away, hopping onto the monitor, eye level with Mike.

"I can smell him!"

EEP!

Dollface braced herself for incoming force and received none.

Huh?

"I can see him!"

She looked at his bunny and then at the man with the axe, a missing eye, and a very bad attitude.

"There's no one here silly! Let's just go back to our stage!"

Mike looked at her, confused.

"I heard him!" He shouted angrily.

"It was just a rat. Let's go back to sleep!" Dollface giggled, mimicking the doll perfectly. Dollface continued to back away, forgetting that she had hit the end of the line for now. She hopped onto the table. Mike stepped forward again. He smiled at her. He was sooooooo tall. "Well, all the better to smile at you with, birthday girl."

Dollface held back a gag at his rancid, fly-killing breath. "What, uhh, big hands you have, Mr. Schmidt!"

"Well, the better to pick you up with." His arms twitched, like he was about to pick her up and toss the girl into his lifelessly flapping jaws.

Dollface looked him up and down, shuffling backwards as her almond eyes widened, seeing someone behind Mike's large shoulder surfacing.

Ah! Her back spasmed. "My, how handsome you look in your suit and pretty bow tie!"

The person behind her raised a finger to his lips as he pulled a fire axe grabbed from the hallway. His dark blue eyes seemed to glow in the ambient lights of the security office.

"How nice of you to notice that. It's new!" Mike smiled again, showing his metal dagger teeth gleaming as Dollface tried to move again, hitting the monitor and making the desk groan from the extra seventy-five pounds on its dented surface. Mike leered into her face.

She hopped onto the monitors, which creaked and popped in aggravation at the extra seventy five pounds thrown onto them.

"Wow, Mr. Schmidt," Dollface darted her eyes over his shoulder again, stating in a cartoon bunny's voice, "You're looking great!"

"Why tha-"

Whoever was in the dark slammed the blade into Mike's skull as Dollface yelled and dodged under the monitors, dropping below the desk, and crawled under the two sets of legs, slipping back into the open vent with a thump, thump, thump and aggravated her stomach more...

Well, that had been unexpected. Mike needed a cigarette.

So he pulled it out of a breast pocket with a lighter. He took a drag, axe lodged in his head.

He'd started smoking again after Raina died. He's quit for a little while, but he was back on them again.

His little imposter had freaked, jumping under the desk after watching the emergency fire axe wielder over his shoulder throughout their conversation.

Mike fell into the swivel chair, surprised at these actions. Anyone could do anything when threatened, including betray Uncle Mickey.

What a bitch!

Covered in stinking blood and runny eyeliner too. Then again, Funtime Freddy did have a wife, and when she was alive and healthy, she was just as skittish and messy on her time of the-

"Speak."

Mike's artificial eyes shot open from behind the mask that was his uncanny face. He pulled his head up, realizing he was at gun-point. "Whaddya want, shorty?" He blew powdered smoke at the short man with an eyepatch. He coughed and glared at him, cocking the Luger.

"Where are they?" He growled between his perfect, white teeth.

"Which 'they'?" Mike shot back, knowing the man wouldn't kill him. Mainly because he was already dead, and secondly because Mike was useful right now. He placed the death stick back in his mouth.

"The children." The man had an accent. Mike boredly tried to place it, feeling his cold skin nudged by the even colder luger barrel.

"Which ones? You're gonna have t'be more specific." Mike said around the cigarette. "Lot'sa kids go missin' round 'ere. No one cares though..."

This man wasn't playing. But Mike was.

"Where is the girl." Not a question, a demand.

"Dollface..." Mike said, flexing his back as he placed the name from a former, kinder life. "She bounced. She won't be a problem anymore. Say, you look 'lot like t'lil brat."

Patchy the pirate leaned forward, blue eye squinted at him. "And why is that?"

Mike laughed, saying, "Cause ya do!"

The man glared harder, slapping Mike with the hilt. Mike surrendered, giving a real answer. "We're losin' power every secon'. And then Freddy'll come. Freddy's a good girl." Mike felt the black blood ooze from his head and into his blond hair.

"How much power do we have left?" Mike pointed at a monitor with his pink gloved hand.

_5% remaining.__4% remaining._

"Three percent kiddo. And we got us three more hours 'til t'doors unlock and t'day crew come in." Mike smiled, metal fangs digging into his gums painfully, "And what kin I say? Children love their games."

Mike laughed, candy cigar falling to the dirty linoleum and shattering on impact as the man shoved the Luger into Funtime Freddy's throat and released the hot lead...

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you_…

Pitiful. The man in the white tuxedo had been pitiful, picking on children and dying like the rat he was.

Ciel pulled out the magazine and placed his gun back into the armpit holster.

Now to find 'Freddy'...

Dollface sniffed.

Ew, it stinks.

And it's wet where she'd been earlier.

She continued to army crawl like Grampa had taught her around the vents, trying to process what just happened.


	70. Black Out

Dollface tramped through the vent system again, this time hurrying as she slid in the lubricated surface of the shafts. And that's around the time when the building seemingly died around her, much to her dreaded dismay.

It whirred down, and the sounds of mechanical breathing stopped, leaving behind nothing.

But stomping.

And her.

And the sound of music boxes playing in the dark. She continued to practically run in her crawl, feeling claustrophobic when she tried to move without wincing and crying out in pain. Dollface didn't have a direction anymore, no destination.

Just run.

Just get out...

"Girls, stay close!" Mamie pulled the small crowd of teenage girls around her. They may be teenagers, but that doesn't mean they were big enough to survive in the feverish temperatures of the dead quiet building. Everything felt so hot and heavy in here, especially under the stage where the ballerina was hung on the wall up topside, impaled by the stomach.

They huddled in the closest room that lay uninfested by mechanical monsters. Mamie held them close, they held her closer. She could see the butler's eyes burning red in the dark.

This wasn't your average, regular everyday darkness, this was...

Advanced darkness.

She closed her eyes. At least, Mamie thinks she did. How could it get darker in the already dark building?

Were there hidden ambience lights?

Sebastian knelt near the miniscule door, grabbing the flashlight and audibly slapped it to his gloved palm. "No use, my lady. 'Tis dead as a unicorn." Someone nuzzled in and whimpered around Mamie.

Something was very wrong.

She could hear something in the vents or maybe even on the stage.

_Clank.Thump. Creeeeaaak-k-k-k-k._

"What's that?"

"It's just the building settling like at my house."

"Okay Wolfie. We'll go with that."

...Dollface tramped through the vents on her elbows, then began to emerge head first through her opening into the arcade area.

Before she could fully slide out past her blood smeared belly, yellow paws lifted her up, kicking and screaming again.

The bear!

She couldn't break her arms free, as this time, he'd bound his hands over her skinny limbs. Dollface screamed louder.

The bear wailed like an army of angry gears and electronic soundbites were being smashed together and drawn out in an almost human cry of rage. It was like he was telling Dollface to shut the hell up with a sonic blast of rotten blood as his mouth encrusted with the substance flapped open.

Dollface whimpered, trying not to cry.

This couldn't be it!

It couldn't have been, not yet.

She felt something hot and sticky ooze down her already wet and warm thigh. She hadn't bothered to check what this funny sensation was, too busy by Mike's advances and running through vents.

She squeaked out in pain as her lower back spasmed and her already soaked body pressed against the shedding yellow fur.

Dollface opened her eyes, realizing that nothing was happening yet.

Ruby eyes stared into her soul.

It was daring her.

"Tell me why you think you're worthy to live." those piercing red orbs lit with an LED fire seemed to say as they burned into her brain.

The lower jaw opened and closed, crunchy red-brown soaked in and dried down into the front of its detachable belly.

Dollface bit back more tears, so confused and scared, smelling the rotten blood that smelled like the weird liquid she'd crawled through. She could hear the electronics whirring in the bear's gold body.

She gulped and swallowed air, no longer affected by smells of electric celery and greasy death.

Growing impatient, the bear smacked her aching back into the wall behind her tiny frame with a groan.

Dollface squeaked, a tear letting out along with a half-forgotten melody from a musician yet to happen. "P-pupils begin to observe, watching the waste on the earth."

She swallowed, throat dry from sheer terror. "Mamas don't love their kids like they used to, letting them smoke their herbs."

It seemed to have grabbed the bear's attention, and he loosened his grip from the wall, allowing her some breathing room.

Few more lines, and maybe he'd put her down and back away. "Nails bitten down to the nub, palms at a fire as they rub, soup never reaches its boil, but Dinner ain't the only thing they've spoiled."

Dollface opened one eye, then squeaked as her lower stomach cramped. This upset the bear, and he forced her back into the wall.

"Let the maggots and worms infest your brain, got your memory of alzheimer's begins." She let out, barely able to breathe between fright and the wall. "Let that hell of a drug emerge in your veins, and I might say that I love you."

Ow, everything hurts, even her upper chest as she was forced against the several hundred pound robot. It looked like the eight-foot bear wanted to eat her.

"And I am the one who birthed you." She could feel breathing that the ber shouldn't have on her neck, hot and humid, reeking of servos and rotten blood. "Skin tearin' down to the bone, freckles fall off as they're told. You realize soon your identity changes, no longer the person you were."

She carefully opened her eyes, watching the pools of hateful wine turn bittersweet, like he was remembering something. "No longer the person that you adore."

Dollface tried to remember how to breathe as he pulled farther away from the wall, her arms still pinned at her sides. If she had the courage turn, she'd find a dplat on the papers plastered to its surface. "Let the maggots and worms infest your brain, got your memory of alzheimer's begins. Let that hell of a drug emerge in your veins, and I, will claim that I love you."

Dollface was fighting off tears as she followed the trail of blood down her assailant's mouth. It looked like he'd bitten into a really juicy tomato. "Cause I am the one who made you."

The bear pulled away from the wall further, like he'd changed his mind about something.

"Thank you mama, for all you've done. Gave me cancer and thick black lungs. Left me rotting on the street, rather shoot up, than have food to eat."

He looked sad, if murderous robots could even look sad. Dollface didn't trust it for one minute. He'd just tried to crush her ribs in, or maybe even worse. And he even had complete power over her life and death, why should she trust the gilded bear?

"Let the maggots and worms infest your brain, got your memory of alzheimer's begins. Let that hell of a drug emerge in your veins and I, will claim that I love you." Dollface was actually getting angry now. How dare he! She felt thr bear lurch and turn around and take her into the party room with the empty stage left unlit. Dollface quit singing, realizing there was no getting out and that she was placing emotions where none where.

The bear was a robot, and an animalistic one at that.

He growled a growl similar to the scream of rage he'd made earlier along

with a body rattling shaking, and Dollface continued, seeing she may as well finish the inevitable. "And I am the one who birthed you, and I am the one who made you."

The bear kept tottering forward and she winced at a particularly violent jouncing step as he walked through party room one and into the spare.

"Do, do, do do do, do, do…" He set the undersized teenage girl on a sheeted table. "Mamas don't love their kids like they used to, letting them smoke their herbs."


	71. Headless

"That's it." Dollface quivered, knees practically giving out from under her as she stood on the table. "That's all there is now."

The bear looked at her and growled with static.

She could barely see anything but the bear and his fluorescent yellow fur that had shed all over her white costume

"Please, just let me go." Dollface begged with a high-pitched, quivering voice. The bear finally released its paws that dug into her skin, leaving red marks that soon turned purple and blue in her frail arms. "There's nothing left."

The bear looked at her, then stepped back, away from his leaned, holding

his head.

He fumbled with his paws for a few seconds, letting a small girls giggles and a distant music box far, far away from the room pass between them as Dollface quivered on the table top.

Snap!

Dollface jumped at the sharp sound of a spring lock releasing.

Then another.

And another.

And another

She watched in horror as the golden bear pulled his head off and ripped out the skull's titanium guts and let them fall to the linoleum with a CLANG!

He handed his blood-encrusted head to her like he was handing her a toy or prized possession.

"Um…"

She took it, hands shaking and squeeming from the feeling of the oxidized and hardened fluids. It would be rude, and once again, Dollface had discovered that an enemy was a friend you haven't met yet. She'd started to lose hope when the friends she'd made with the other animatronic characters turned out to be enemies.

And before Dollface could ask what to do with the head, he was gone.

Izzy nuzzled into the lady in the dark as something thumped and squealed on the ceiling. She could practically hear it settling in with a heavy laugh. She buried her face into Princess, or maybe it was Wolfie's shoulder and whimpered as she heard a creak...

Ciel pressed his shoulder against the wall in the checkered hallway. How the hell did he go from teen mistakes to possessed electronics?

It wasn't quite time to pull his eyepatch off yet.


	72. Lady's Night

A giggle.

A squeak.

Then silence.

Dollface went flying over a table, not used to wearing a gutted bear mask streaked with spoiled blood while wandering in a darkened pizzaria after hours. She lay on the floor, not wanting to move ever again, muscles burning and skin stinging, feeling naked as her back spasmed with a silent scream. Dollface eventually stood, body shaking and aching, feeling empty.

She hadn't eaten since dinner.

What time was it?

The power was out, preventing her from finding a clock anywhere.

"Hello?" She searched for the source of the voice, completely isolated inside the mask. It smelled like fun fur, grease, and that smell that seemed to follow Dollface wherever she went.

"Hi?" She snapped upright. It hadn't been her imagination.

Another giggle in the dark.

Dollface stumbled, trying to find her way out of the party room she'd been placed in, trying to reorient herself. .

Where was she?

No lights, no landmarks, the glass doors where nowhere in sight.

But she knew she was being watched, that's for sure. Maybe the mask tricked whatever it was into thinking she was one of them.

She needed to find her friends.

Loud footsteps then a wet snap, followed by a yell from a familiar voice, "Dollface, run!"

Dollface took that advice and high tailed it out of their as fast as she could in the dark while wearing a gutted suit head and dodging tables and God knows what else.

She fell into a stinky storage room. She knew it was the storage room because there were bottles and the scuttles and squeaks of rats because William was too busy to set out traps. Dollface knocked over a crate of spare table cloths and party favors. Then she ducked into a new room, but not before knocking over another box, this one full of presumably teeshirts and plushies for prize corner.

The bathroom.

Girls' bathroom, to be specific.

She could just see the stalls outlined in the dark.

Dollface ducked into one and locked the stall door, glad she remembered the layout enough to reorient herself.

She heard the laugh of a little girl.

Dollface held her breath as she heard the heavy, unnatural footsteps of something that shouldn't be able to move.

She could hear the mechanical breathing as its head swiveled like a camera, trying to locate Dollface. Dollface jumped up onto the tank, attempting to keep quiet as she shivered from a sudden wave of cold air in a hot room. She winced as her lower stomach twinged.

It stretched and squeaked. She could hear stitches popping and joints

repositioning with groans and suffering squeals. The moment felt so

painfully long as she waited for the monster in the dark.

And there it was.

Blue eyes glowing as she sat on the toilet tank, blood streaking across

Dollface's upper thigh.

The eyes blinked, then disappeared with more groaning and stretching of a discontened fursuit.

Then thumping as it waddled unsteadily away from the stall.

Dollface waited a solid minute, the longest one she'd ever endured, sitting on the toilet tank. It was fooled by the golden bear's head.

Oh thank Jesus!


	73. Stalling

Dollface placed a boot on the tiles, remembering and longing for the days when Friendly Bear was just a creepy animatronic that sang off-tune melodies with Rodney and Chelsea.

Those days were over.

And she thought things like these weren't alive!

And when she pretended they did, Dollface could never imagine this!

She pressed the boot into the ground more steadily, then placed the other one down, trusting that even if nothing in here was certain, at least the solidness of the floor would.

She let out a breath, standing solidly on the ground.

Dollface flipped the latch open, and stepped out of the stall. Now to find her friends, if they were okay. She hadn't seen any of them on her tramples through the restaurant.

"Now where do you think YOU'RE going?"

Dollface let out a startled scream as she was grabbed by the skinny arm. She struggled as the furry metal paw hardened its grip on her boney forearm. She screamed as a cheap laugh track of an audience played. Dollface gasped and screamed, glad the jaw of the mask was dangling open instead of letting her voice reverberate around the skull, completely deafening her.

The thing used Freddy's jovial voice and snippets of a showtape to taunt her as she kicked at it. The monster let her go free after a well placed one in the fuzzy gut.

Dollface scrambled away like a bat out of hell, even skidding against the tile in her desperate attempt to escape. She shivered in a cold sweat again, perspiration dripping down her back na beading on her forehead.

If her over-the-top makeup wasn't ruined now, it was completely destroyed now.

She pulled into a new room, one she remembered being told to stay out of when Henry attempted to give her a tour along with her friends. The only reasoned she cared or even took note was because while she never planned on entering the empty room, she distinctly remembered Henry hadn't been allowed in there himself.

_Creeeeeeeeeee...Snap_!

She spun on her heels from where she stood panting in the doorway. Dollface really hoped this mask was working, but it didn't seem to very well. She knew she probably wouldn't survive tonight, between the painful cramping and the monster that used air cylinders when it wasn't attached to them, but hey, when they found the body, she'd look pretty damn metal.

Maybe they'd talk about her and try to solve the mystery of how a local sensation was killed in a freak accident.

A scary legacy was better than none.

Dollface scurried, nearly doubling in pain as she reached for a corner to hide in.

She turned to see the exit sign blink on over the door frame with an eerie red LED buzzing. It bathed a large, segmented figure in the color of blood as its blue eyes burned two bright smears into her eyes. It yawned as a giant, grand old music box played the theme from Carmen.

This was it, wasn't it?

The end of the line.

She didn't want to accept this, but it seemed that this was the only option.

Dollface had fought through hell and almost made it back.

Oh well, maybe her friends found a way home and escaped to the other side without her.

But that was okay, they were safe, and were probably sending a search team because they couldn't find her and Dollface's sacrifice saved them.

As long as they were safe, Dollface thought, then she would willingly die happy.


	74. Feathers

Dollface squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what was coming. She braced herself, holding her breath, forcing back tears. Who cared if she was going to the and her makeup was ruined?

She was a big girl now. She was going to be sixteen soon, so Dollface needed to act like it. Have some dignity for once! Besides, her face was covered.

"Sebastian!"

Wait, what? That wasn't planned.

Nope.

Not in the slightest. But it was welcome, who cared if it was a new potential threat?

Dollface forced her eyes open, trying to understand where she was.

Feathers? Yes, she was surrounded by them as far as her dark eyes could see beyond the eye sockets of the suit head.

"Sebastian! This is an ordah!"

Dollface was wrapped in the wings of the short man with the funny accent she only heard on late night television.

"Yes, my lord." Was a reply from outside the wings as the March went on. Whoever replied had the same accent, no, wait….

"Sebastian, I command you to kill that vile creature!"

"As you wish, sire." Dollface pressed herself against the man out of fear. In reality, she wanted to run, but was more afraid of what was outside instead of in. She tried to place Sebastian's smooth, syrupy voice, then realized… The monster screamed as its entrails were smeared across the greasy floors and the smell of rot filled the chilly air. It sounded like a little girl as it attempted to save itself from whoever was exterminating it.

The man faced her.

It was her face staring back through the eye holes.

He pressed a delicate hand against the yellow cheek of the suit head. She could see one eye was blue, the other was purple with strange, swirling designs where the eyepatch had been. She pressed against the corner as he lifted the suithead ever so slightly so he could see Dollface's real face with her matted blonde hair that lay limp in the humidity of the room.

Her breathing reverberated in her ears as she tried not to whimper seeing him. Dollface clamped her hands down on the golden bear's head and forced it back down over her head.

Dollface didn't want to see the man who'd murdered cousin Mike and had her face.

And finally, after a clatter of metal bones and expensive heeled shoes from the monsters behind them, hidden behind white wings barred with black, the man scooped her up and carried her away.

Dollface was utterly terrified, wanting to jump from his arms and run, especially after seeing Mike and hearing the robot, but figured to stay put. She didn't want to end up like the 'bad guys'.

He placed her on her feet like a doll, and she stumbled away from him, avoiding eye contact while trying not to double over or pass out.

Dollface was soon barraged by her friends with hugs and whispers of comfort and questions of concerns. She just sort of stared ahead through the eye sockets and tottered unsteadily with them as they skipped and scampered around her like a herd of happy baby goats….

...Izzy frowned. She wanted to help Dollface feel better because that's what Dollface would've done for her. She tapped Wolfie on the shoulder and pointed to the 1,000 token prize.

Wolfie gave her a look.

Izzy received it and replied with another.

Wolfie nodded curtly, then grabbed Izzy around her purple-paneled waist. Izzy reached up and snatched the top-tier prize.

Ha ha!

Success!

She tottered in her aching feet to Dollface and handed the biggest character plush Izzy could grab, the one she'd seen Dollface eye since it was lifted up into the final tier by Jeremy on his stepladder, with a wide, orange painted grin. Her lipstick was soooooo smeared, and the purple eyeshadow was diffused all over her face like a glittery bruise.

Dollface took it, wrapping her arms around the bug-eyed bear with the purple tie and red eyes. Izzy knew she'd love it because it matched the yellow fur of her crusty-mouthed mask.

Dollface held it to her chest, feeling its weight against her opera gloved arms.


	75. Light em Up

William Afton had been the boy who set all the fires for troop outings. He liked fire. It was warm and ate its way through everything.

He'd arrived just hours before dawn, and was angry at what he saw. So, despite the heavy disappointment, he would make himself happy. That idiot Henry was in the belief that William had gotten all the girls home safely.

They weren't, obviously.

William wanted to experiment, to see what would happen if he locked them in the maze of monsters. But no, they were alive, his beautiful creations lovingly led away from the herd and kindly turned into his toys, his children, were ruined on the floor.

Buying children from the eastern ghettos of the Big City or even L.A. when they were still fixing that location, had been easy when they were problem kids the parents didn't want anything to do with. Freddy and her split lip and other medical problems?

The mother, single with five other kids to feed had no time for that.

Weird little Bonnie?

The embarrassing son that passed out at the thought of playing sports with an audience, 200 dollars plus gas money was awarded to the father.

Even Chica who dressed in frills had a price, her mother was tired of having a kid that acted like a kid instead of a doll.

Having suited up for his morning shift, William grabbed his lighter, trying to find tinder and kindling in the back alley for his favorite toy of all.

A grand and magnificent bonfire...

...Sirens? Dollface looked up from where she'd been rubbing her shelled face into the velvety fur of the teddy.

"Fire alarm. We gotta go now!" Puck was standing beside the man, left arm bent funny.

"But we are trapped!" Princess shouted.

"Yeah, like rats!" Wolfie yelled over the chirping alarm.

"Oh my god." Izzy said breathily, "We're actually gonna die, aren't we? I thought we were gonna make it, but I guess not!"

"Just when we thought we were gonna go home." Dolli Mae said angrily. Before Ciel could open his mouth, Dollface opened hers.

"We're in prize corner. If we go that way," she pointed with her pink hand at the doorway. "Down the hallway and through the arena, we can get through the emergency exit to the alleyway. From there, we run and get help."

"Aren't emergency doors usually locked, little wren?"

"Uncle Sebbie, what're y'all doin' here?" Dollface blinked in surprise, hearing shortie mutter the name incredulously when she referred to the taller. She ignored it for now. "Employees usually keep keys. As the stage and waiting staff, we aren't allowed these keys, but Afton and Emily might have a spare set in their office somewhere. I didn't check earlier because they said they were coming back and I wasn't sure if they kept the keys overnight or not. If not, we can just break down t'door."

Dollface looked around, beginning to smell the smokey air of burning plastic and stale pizza grease."Wolfie, when we pass by, grab them and meet us in the back of the arena."

Dollface tapped her foot. "We have no time to lose, let's go!"

With Dollface leading the way, the group escaped through the emergency exit. Ciel had to admit, in a situation like this, he would've just had Sebastian break down a few doors and maybe go out a window. Dollface looked over her puff sleeved shoulder and barked, "Everyone out?"

The girls shouted to affirm her that yes, all of them were out.

"Marion!" Ciel hissed at his wife, "your arm!"

"Yeah, uh." She chuckled nervously, "It's fine, I'll get to a hospital later."

"It's very clearly broken!"

"I'm not the priority right now!" Maymie snapped, "the girls are! Our daughter and her friends, remember?" Ciel squeezed his purple eyes shut as they exited the alleyway, past the graffiti, including the one proclaiming Carlon smelled like feet.

"Hey mister!" Ciel looked at the smallest girl, Foxy. She glared up at him, "Why do ya have 'er face?"

She pointed her finger at Dollface, still hugging the bear in the early dawn light near the fading streetlamp.

"Little girl, do you know how many people have my face?" He side-eyed her.

Foxy shrugged. "Nope. But Dollface has a weird face. She likes to say she has man face."

Ciel looked at her. Sebastian came up behind him, stooping to put a gauze eyepatch over his master's unusual eye.

"I'm just tryin' t'say she looks real distinct 'n all..." Foxy tried to explain. Puppet Girl came up behind her, resting a long arm on the smaller's broad shoulder.

"Miss Tactless, 1991, amiright?" She laughed broadly.

"I thought it was 1987..." trailed Dollface into her bear's top hat. "I need pants. And a nap."

"You can say that again." Princess said as she tiptoed over in her fluffy blue Pointe shoes, wrists practically the same hue. "You also need a tampon."

"Fuck, is that what that is?"

"I just can't believe we were up all night though." Izzy said, standing near Dollface in her yellow swing dress and orange legs. "Also, Dollface, have you never had a period?"

Ciel studied the three girls. Never hurt to have a new reference for upcoming projects and designs.

Dollface was all blood smeared legs even next to Bonnie's trained body, and Izzy was a perfect pear, the dress one big optical illusion to make her appear like an hourglass. But next to Dollface's slim build, Ciel could see that very clearly.

"Hey, what happened to your clothes, dude?"

"What?" Ciel turned, startled out of concentration to see Puppet Girl behind him.

"Yeah, your back." Foxy pointed again. That annoyed him, pointing. "Looks like it got shredded by a weed-eater or somethin'."

Unsure of how to answer, Ciel grunted, letting them stay that curious state people under thirty were perpetually in. Now he was remembering why he preferred to keep his distance from children, even when he was one himself.

"Yer not from 'round here, are ya?"

Ciel sighed. "I need to talk to your friend really quickly."

"Yo Dollface!" Dollface's head snapped to attention, sunflower bear mask head's jaw slack.

"He needs t'talk t'ya!" Dollface strided over, passing her friends. The bruises and cuts burnished harsh and discolored on her pale skin where it wasn't coated in her stinking blood. Ciel met her in the middle, not wanting to see her fall.

"How did you know where to find the keys?"

"Lucky guess." She shrugged deliberatly, almond eyes behind the mask far away. "I just thought of the best place and hoped for Henry to be forgetful enough to leave them."

"How many lucky guesses do you make?"

"As many as I can before my luck runs out. I'm expecting that to happen and bite me any day now."

Ciel raised his dark eyebrow. "Who's Henry?"

"My boss. He made all t'animatronics." Dollface answered. Ciel was aware of her avoiding his eye. He was also dimly aware of the other girls watching. "My other boss is William. He does pretty much everything else. He said he would be taking us home last night, but he jetted."

She squeezed the toy tighter to her body, pink crossed over blue. He realized that she wasn't focusing on his face at all. She was staring at the single metal stud in his ear.

Ciel tried to ignore it.

"Girls! What are you doing here so early?" Ciel turned, seeing a man in 2/3 of a rabbit costume, smiling jovially. "Dollface, are you okay?"

"Mr. Afton, you didn't take us home." Muttered Dollface, makeup smudged and wearing away, making her look older from the brief glimpses behind the mask.

"What?" He raised his yellow suited arms.

"You never..."


	76. Don't Fear the Reapers

Henry gripped his steering wheel. Weren't early mornings great?

He was trying really hard not to become a nervous wreck today. William brought the girls home last night, which made getting Charlette to bed soooooo much easier.

He trusted William.

Maybe.

Even if William seemed jealous of Henry's family and was upset years earlier when they graduated from college and stopped being roommates. And got really excited when Charlie's twin brother Sammy went missing in '87. And Mrs. Emily called it quits soon after, leaving Henry to care for Charlie with William.

But William had his own family, even if they slowly disappeared over time.

Meant nothing of course!

William was a good person.

Right? Super nice, great with kids!

Henry sighed, then slammed the breaks, jaw dropped as he rolled into the parking lot. He rolled down his window, bug-eyed at the girls still in costume, makeup smeared, and running ragged.

"You didn't... Oh hi Mr. Emily!" Dollface turned to him with a gaping gutted suithead on her sharp, square face. Her cheek bones could break glass when she let her face rest.

"William..." he didn't know where to start. "William, you said you'd take the girls home and-and… I knew this would happen!" Henry parked the car, utterly defeated, "And why is the building on fire?!"

"So, uh, funny story..." William pressed his foam rubber paws together in hopes of looking more innocent than he was.

"William, I trusted you!"

...The Reapers were busy today. They should have weeks ago, but for some reason, they were prevented them from doing their jobs and completing tasks.

Edna Derry shuffled in her threadbare house slippers past the headless yellow animatronic and snapped the cinematic records from the ballerina impaled into the wall. The film rolled around them.

They must hurry, as souls tend to melt away in extreme heat, and flames had started to engulf the building.

"Raina Dashinsky-Schmidt. Ballet instructor, ex-navy pilot with a generous spirit. Married Mike Schmidt. Good marriage, never had kids. Good boundaries. He was with her 'til t'day her breast cancer finally killed 'er." Edna smiled, seeing the husband was nearby. Instead of throwing it at random into the wheelbarrow where the souls where to be collected, she tottered over, shoving the gardening shears into her apron. Her wrinkled hands sifted through, finding Mike Schmidt.

Their ending was terrible, they deserved a second chance to rewrie it. She pulled out red string and bundled the records together with a smile, and tossed them back in.

Joe Titsworth raised his harvester and released the boy in the bunny, snatching the record midair with his leather work gloved fingers.

"Luke Benson, age nine. Found dead in a trunk, brain missin'. Fears include presentations, public speakin' and crowds." Joe pulled on the short film strip to make it snap from the desiccated rabbit, "How ironic."

He tossed it in.

"Oh, I wish heaven was more open to others." Edna whimpered.

"Only for saints and angels." Said gruff Jake Whissman as he stepped into the room with a small bundle of records. "All of 'em sons o'bitches."

"Bailey Weber. Chose sides in every fight but their own. Died age eight." Jake pulled out another, one he'd harvested with his old iron plow, "Elizabeth Miller, age nine. Supposedly t'perfect lil girl who never played rough."

He tossed it in.

Edna looked at the two teenagers in the pile of records. Not much time left, but once again, they needed it. She pulled out her thread and tied them together with it.

Margaret and Vincent Afton.

One more time?

"Edna, you're a hopeless romantic." Grumbled Jake. Edna knew her employees didn't mind though. There was no reason to fight her anyway, it was all going in the

She hummed the March of a Troubadour as Penny, age ten was thrown into the wheelbarrow.

"Wait, there's one more." Jake dropped the wheelbarrow with a thump, and looked at Joe.

Joe muttered something, then shouted over the roaring fires now fully escalating around them. He ripped out the headless gold body's child's soul, "Zachary Afton, son of owner, bite victim. Loved robots and hated broccoli. Died age eight and a half." He took his sickle and snapped off the record and the soul, tossing it in. Better hurry it up, or the souls will melt away.

Edna pulled out her schedule and checked to see who was slated next.

Her schedule was clear, as well as the others.

Good, she could work on her samplers.

"You take the records to the haybailer, and boys?" Jake and Joe looked up from the wheelbarrow to their ancient overseer, "tie the bale with a good strong cord for me please."


	77. Herd Mentality

"Marion, please take the girls." Ciel looked at Henry. "What do you know of this?"

Henry stuttered, "William, he was supposed-"

"I know what he was supposed to do." Ciel snapped, thinking of the bruises running up and down the Fazbear Girl's arms like spreading mold. "I suggest you answer our questions or perish like your inhuman friend."

"What?" William looked nervous as he placed his rubber foam head on and tried to back away.

"Sebastian, hand me the crowbar out in the alleyway. And make sure he doesn't leave."

"Yes my lord."

"What are- what are ya doing shorty?" William backed away in his cloud of cheap cologne. Sebastian appeared and wrenched William's furry yellow arm behind his back, making him shriek. He slapped the rusty crowbar into Ciel's outstretched and expecting palm.

"Now," Ciel smiled, sounds of the early morning train rising and falling somewhere in the distance as he smiled. "Do you confess to crimes against children, including blatant pedophilia, violence, abuse, neglect and serialized premeditated murders, carrying of illegal fire arms, possession of illegal drugs and human trafficking?"

William looked at him through the empty sockets of the rabbit's eyes. "What? No, you're crazy!"

"Am I?" Ciel dared William to answer. William tried to back away, but Sebastian had him pinned.

"William, what were you doing in those back rooms?" Henry asked.

"Nothing! It's their fault for fucking everything up!" William shouted.

"And who are they?" Sebastian leered.

"The little sluts of course!" William shouted angrily, "They were supposed to help me gain more customers, not do this! I wanted to see them play with the children I saved, the one'[s I made perfect!"

"William," Henry said breathily, "What is going on? You told me to stay away from certain areas and let you deal with the animatronics for minor repairs. I listened. What were you doing?"

"We have our story then." Sebastian smiled.

"One more time." Ciel said, "do you confess to crimes against children, including blatant pedophilia, violence, abuse, neglect and serialized premeditated murders, carrying of illegal fire arms, possession of illegal drugs and human trafficking, all heavy charges?"

"Yes, but it's not my fault!" William spat. "I was so proud of my creations, my lovely children, and you ruined it!" William tried to lunge at him, ending in a scream as Sebastian tightened his grip as Ciel stepped away. William opted to spit a was of phlegm at Ciel's dress shoe.

It landed on his own feet instead.

"Henry, this is your last chance to leave before the judge, jury and executioner decide the fate of your psychopathic friend." Ciel said, raising the crowbar. "Marion, please take the girls." Ciel looked at Henry. "What do you know of this?"

Henry stuttered, "William, he was supposed-"

"I know what he was supposed to do." Ciel snapped. "I want to know how much you know before your accomplice meets his justice."

"What?" William looked nervous as he placed his rubber foam head on and tried to back away.

"Sebastian, make sure he doesn't escape."

...Dollface was running. She didn't think she could anymore.

"Hurry girls!" Puck had shouted as she shooed them forward. Dollface looked over her shoulder when she heard a clunk, a scream, and several loud bangs and pops. Her gut wrenched as she heard someone laughing as William in his rabbit costume screamed and seized to the dirty parking lot. Henry was in utter fear and disgust.

Dollface could barely stand anymore, but now she was running ahead of the group, away from that man. That horrible man with her face.

Dollface fell, pain catching up. Puck snatched her from the ground and carried the masked girl away in a one-armed fireman's carry.


	78. Error Code 404

"Marion, please take the girls." Ciel looked at Henry. "What do you know of this?"

Henry stuttered, "William, he was supposed-"

"I know what he was supposed to do." Ciel snapped, thinking of the bruises running up and down the Fazbear Girl's arms like spreading mold. "I suggest you answer our questions or perish like your inhuman friend."

"What?" William looked nervous as he placed his rubber foam head on and tried to back away.

"Sebastian, hand me the crowbar. And make sure he doesn't leave."

"Yes my lord."

"What are- what are ya doing shorty?" William backed away in his cloud of cheap cologne. Sebastian appeared and wrenched William's furry yellow arm behind his back, making him shriek. He slapped the rusty crowbar into

Ciel's outstretched and expecting palm.

"Now," Ciel smiled, sounds of the early morning train rising and falling somewhere in the distance as he smiled. "Do you confess to crimes against children, including blatant pedophilia, violence, abuse, neglect and serialized premeditated murders, carrying of illegal fire arms, possession of illegal drugs and human trafficking?"

William looked at him through the empty sockets of the rabbit's eyes. "What? No, you're crazy!"

"Am I?" Ciel dared William to answer. William tried to back away, but Sebastian had him pinned.

"William, what were you doing in those back rooms?" Henry asked.

"Nothing! It's their fault for fucking everything up!" William shouted.

"And who are they?" Sebastian leered.

"The little sluts of course!" William shouted angrily, "They were supposed to help me gain more customers, not do this! I wanted to see them play with the children I saved, the one'[s I made perfect!"

"William," Henry said breathily, "What is going on? You told me to stay away from certain areas and let you deal with the animatronics for minor repairs. I listened. What were you doing?"

"We have our story then." Sebastian smiled.

"One more time." Ciel said, "do you confess to crimes against children, including blatant pedophilia, violence, abuse, neglect and serialized premeditated murders, carrying of illegal fire arms, possession of illegal drugs and human trafficking, all heavy charges?"

"Yes, but it's not my fault!" William spat. "I was so proud of my creations, my lovely children, and you ruined it!" William tried to lunge at Ciel, ending in a scream as Sebastian tightened his grip as Ciel stepped back. William opted to spit a was of phlegm at Ciel's dress shoe.

It landed on his own feet instead.

"Henry, this is your last chance to leave before the judge, jury and executioner decide the fate of your psychopathic friend." Ciel said, raising the crowbar. "Marion, please take the girls." Ciel looked at Henry. "What do you know of this?"

Henry stuttered, "William, he was supposed-"

"I know what he was supposed to do." Ciel snapped. "I want to know how much you know before your accomplice meets his justice."

"What?" William looked nervous as he placed his rubber foam head on and tried to back away.

"Sebastian, make sure he doesn't escape."

...Dollface was running. She didn't think she could anymore.

"Hurry girls!" Puck had shouted as she shooed them forward. Dollface looked over her shoulder when she heard a clunk, a scream, and several loud bangs and pops like firecrackers being set off one after another. Her gut wrenched as she heard someone laughing as William in his rabbit costume screamed and seized to the dirty parking lot. Henry was in utter fear and disgust at the display at his feet as patchy the pirate stared with no emotion in his eye.

Dollface could barely stand anymore, but now she was running ahead of the group, away from that man. That horrible man with her face.

Dollface fell, pain catching up. Puck snatched her from the ground and carried the masked girl away in a one-armed fireman's carry.


	79. Nap Time

Dollface stepped out of the shower ready to collapse. Or would she need a tetanus shot first?

She'd pretty much just stood there watching blood dilute itself with the shower water and drip down the drain. She washed her face with products she didn't have twenty minutes before, not noticing time slip, then wrapped herself up, running to her empty room. She dressed in her pajamas.

"Ambulance!" Once in her boots, Dollface ran outside, covered in scrapes, scratches, and bruises from exposed barbs and bolts in the vents and a few different bear attacks. She pulled on the hoodie over everything and hoped it covered.

"Hey kiddo!" A paramedic in his uniform stood outside, his comrade already shuffling Puck onto the back of the vehicle.

"I need a tetanus shot."

"Step right up! As of 2009, we carry it in stock!"

"Good thing it's 2011 then."

Gramma explained to the man with the syringe what happened, a story about falling downstairs and another about getting sideswiped and thrown from a bike. Dollface gripped her yellow teddy with her free arm, trying not to watch the needle plunge into her arms.

And soon, Puck was gone, leaving Dollface with a bandaid on her arm.

Finally, she could get that nap she wanted undisturbed!

….Dollface hadn't been a mistake.

Not in the end, anyway. More like a convenient mishap. Marion knew that was

probably what her daughter was to Ciel.

Maymie decided to come back to her childhood home for one more chance wit her daughter.

She slipped under the covers with her sleeping daughter. "Hey Dolly."

Dollface's eyes fluttered open and glared at Maymie.

"Piss off."

Maymie didn't want to. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Dollface glared, blonde hair falling over her eyes as she tried to press away from Maymie, closer to the wall, bear placed between them to separate them.

"Because I was never there for you."

"So?"

Maymie watched her daughter's face. There was no emotion, just tiredness.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Dollface nodded, "Gramma made me get up and eat a few minutes ago."

Dollface looked past Maymie.

Then she shoved her out of the wireframe day bed.

Maymie squealed and fell with an "oof!"

Dollface giggled and rubbed her face in the giant bear's head.

Maymie stumbled to her feet, arm in the bulky cast and scooted back in as Dollface pouted at the end to her temporary solution.

She hopped right back in, this time not hesitating to put her arm around the tiny little girl.

Dollface glared and attempted to push her mother again, but this time, Maymie was ready and kept her balance.

"Hey, chill." Maymie whispered.

Dollface let a sharp gasp of pain out and then glared. She looked like an old Hollywood silver screen queen, with sharp cheekbones and smoldering black eyes.

Maymie pressed her knuckles into Dollface's lower back, right at the painful knot. If Dollface was an animal, she'd be recoiling and hissing like a snake. Instead, she opted to press her back farther against the wall until Maymie was tempted to let out her own grunts of pain. She could do this.

Dollface stopped forcing Maymie's hand against the wall and let her, realizing that it relieved the pain.

Her shoulders slumped, still too tired.

"Now that I have your attention, I want you to understand that what you are going through is fine. It's normal. Running in vents and getting attacked by possessed electronics while doing so, is not."

"Why did ya show up now and expect me to be okay with y'all?" Dollface said, eyes drooping. "You're a stranger in my bed."

It was like she was trying to say something other than "fuck off!"

"What are you hidin'?"

Dollface looked at her, and in true Dollface fashion, she forced Maymie's hands against the wall. "Wouldn't you like t'know, weather boy?"

Where'd that insult come from?

"Fuck ya chicken strips!" Dollface released Maymie's hand and took both socked feet to her chest and forcefully pushed her mother from the bed.


	80. Medicare

Dollface stepped out of the shower ready to collapse. Or would she need a tetanus shot first?

She'd pretty much just stood there watching blood dilute itself with the shower water and drip down the drain. She washed her face with products she didn't have twenty minutes before, not noticing time slip, then wrapped herself up, running to her empty room. She dressed in her pajamas.

"Ambulance!" Once in her boots, Dollface ran outside, covered in scrapes, scratches, and bruises from exposed barbs and bolts in the vents and a few different bear attacks. She pulled on the hoodie over everything and hoped it covered.

"Hey kiddo!" A paramedic in his uniform stood outside, his comrade already shuffling Puck onto the back of the vehicle.

"I need a tetanus shot."

"Step right up! As of 2009, we carry it in stock!"

"Good thing it's 2011 then."

Gramma explained to the man with the syringe what happened, a story about falling downstairs and another about getting sideswiped and thrown from a bike. Dollface gripped her yellow teddy with her free arm, trying not to watch the needle plunge into her arms.

And soon, Puck was gone, leaving Dollface with a bandaid on her arm.

Finally, she could get that nap she wanted undisturbed!

….Dollface hadn't been a mistake.

Not in the end, anyway. More like a convenient mishap. Marion knew that was

probably what her daughter was to Ciel.

Maymie decided to come back to her childhood home for one more chance wit her daughter.

She slipped under the covers with her sleeping daughter. "Hey Dolly."

Dollface's eyes fluttered open and glared at Maymie.

"Piss off."

Maymie didn't want to. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Dollface glared, blonde hair falling over her eyes as she tried to press away from Maymie, closer to the wall, bear placed between them to separate them.

"Because I was never there for you."

"So?"

Maymie watched her daughter's face. There was no emotion, just tiredness.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Dollface nodded, "Gramma made me get up and eat a few minutes ago."

Dollface looked past Maymie.

Then she shoved her out of the wireframe day bed.

Maymie squealed and fell with an "oof!"

Dollface giggled and rubbed her face in the giant bear's head.

Maymie stumbled to her feet, arm in the bulky cast and scooted back in as Dollface pouted at the end to her temporary solution.

She hopped right back in, this time not hesitating to put her arm around the tiny little girl.

Dollface glared and attempted to push her mother again, but this time, Maymie was ready and kept her balance.

"Hey, chill." Maymie whispered.

Dollface let a sharp gasp of pain out and then glared. She looked like an old Hollywood silver screen queen, with sharp cheekbones and smoldering black eyes.

Maymie pressed her knuckles into Dollface's lower back, right at the painful knot. If Dollface was an animal, she'd be recoiling and hissing like a snake. Instead, she opted to press her back farther against the wall until Maymie was tempted to let out her own grunts of pain. She could do this.

Dollface stopped forcing Maymie's hand against the wall and let her, realizing that it relieved the pain.

Her shoulders slumped, still too tired.

"Now that I have your attention, I want you to understand that what you are going through is fine. It's normal. Running in vents and getting attacked by possessed electronics while doing so, is not."

"Why did ya show up now and expect me to be okay with y'all?" Dollface said, eyes drooping. "You're a stranger in my bed."

It was like she was trying to say something other than "fuck off!"

"What are you hidin'?"

Dollface looked at her, and in true Dollface fashion, she forced Maymie's hands against the wall. "Wouldn't you like t'know, weather boy?"

Where'd that insult come from?

"Fuck ya chicken strips!" Dollface released Maymie's hand and took both socked feet to her chest and forcefully pushed her mother from the bed.


	81. Happy Death Day

Dollface stumbled to her slatted double-doored closet after releasing herself from Courage's heavy slumber and checked to make sure it was empty of that horrible, deformed, twisted animal face she'd seen in her feverish dream. Finding it full of nothing but dresses and fragile school blouses, Dollface started to dig around desperately.

No faces.

But these weren't her clothes.

No, wait, they were. Her costume was there, in its full, over-the-top, brown and blue glory with the big, poofy sleeves. She tried to find her white boots, and then realized that they'd been burned in the fire earlier in the morning, along with the abandoned Joey Drew Studios attached to it at the hip.

A knock on her door.

"Y-yes?"

"Oh," Gramma opened the door. "You're awake. Did your friends keep you up all night?"

Don't tell. If you tell, it never happened.

"I can't believe we were up all night!" Gramma exclaimed, "We were expecting you home so much sooner! Then we realized William probably brought you to your friend's house!"

Dollface nodded, trying to pull up a weak smile.

"I wished you'd told us where you were sooner! Now to tell you the bad news." Gramma sighed, swiping her old, knobby hands on her apron. "String Bean's uncle has been found dead. No body to speak of, but undoubtedly dead."

Dollface stepped away from her closet, snapping the white panels shut and tracing a finger on the slats. With her nervous energy.

"Your friends are all invited. Most of the town is, in fact." Gramma looked away as Dollface looked up. "Your father would like to meet you. Most likely after the service. You've already met your mother, I believe."

Dollface gulped, then rasped, "what if I don't want to meet him?"

"Why not, dear?"

"What if I don't want t'meet him. He doesn't seem very nice."

Gramma's face soured as Dollface looked at the shelf of rabbits. "He is your father. You will meet him and treat him with respect."

Gramma was firm.

And it was final.

Dollface's decision had been made. She'd have to meet the murderer of murderers in just a few days now.

...There's something about the color red that bothers people. It triggers a reaction most dreadful. Making even the brightest people dim from panic, a feeling of which holds the sane mind hostage.

Dollface sat in the white lace dress that Lilly had been wearing just weeks before all of this had seemingly started, avoiding the gaze of her real parents on the other side of Elmore's only church. String Bean didn't seem to need her much, sitting with Thorne and her family.

Izzy leaned on Dollface. Dollface mostly ignored it, trying to avoid her rising panic. She tried to settle her dead gaze on the Sanchés family. Wolfie looked like she was trying to disassociate from her mother, dramatically drying tears from her eyes with a hanky.

Mike had been a good person, no doubt, but the last thing Dollface had seen of him was chilling.

She was remembering things she shouldn't remember. Things like Joey Drew coming to Dolli Mae's victory party, or how she'd gotten her boots, or even standing in a circus stadium in the far, far future.

Princess sat with Lilly, blue hair in twin victory rolls where there should be two tiny, antennae-like pigtails. Dollface tapped her foot, then played with the rings on her fingers, hoping to dispel the nervous energy filling every atom of her being.

The attendees got up and marched behind Pastor Sanchés to the churchyard to the hole next to Raina's grave.

String Bean's tall, lanky father, Mike's older brother Gerald stood by, watching the shoebox be placed in the hole in the dirt. He would soon be given the folded flag. But for now, he watched his own family, or what was left of him, be given his eternal bed. They couldn't find much of Mike.

Just the blood soaked puppet and a desk of papers confirming that yes, it was him.

Dollface watched Thorne grab String Bean's rough hand in her soft ones.

After the service finished, Dollface stumbled away in her boots and borrowed lace dress, attempting to subtly run home before meeting the short man that had fathered her.

"Dollface, get back here!" Dollface stiffened, hearing her name used sharply by her grandmother. Gramma was weird about family matters.

Don't say what you know, just keep moving.

"Dollface!" Pretend you can't hear. She continued down the sidewalk.

"Dollface, you're being rude!"

I don't care. Dollface kept walking. Maybe they'll give up? She needed to return this dress anyway.

"Dollface!" Gramma grabbed her and pulled her. Dollface grunted and dug the heavy heels of her black work boots into the pavement.

"You're making it harder than it has to be!" Gramma shouted. Dollface, not used to Gramma acting this way fought harder, heels grating until Grampa finally sighed and picked her up, tucking his granddaughter under his arm like an angry football.

Dollface struggled, then gave up, realizing this was inevitable.

He dropped her.

Right in front of...

She whimpered as she jumped up, attempting to fully run this time, but was blocked by Grampa.

"Ciel Phantomhive." No emotion, no expression in his voice.

Damn right he didn't have any emotion, the psycho.

Wait, what? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-How? What?

"We've met." She growled, suddenly realizing she was standing in front of one of the richest men in the world, of which she shared half her genetics with.

"Dollface, be polite!" Hissed Gramma, "he's your father!"

Ooooooh, was this why Gramma had been acting weird?

Dollface didn't really care. She didn't like that this man had her face. Or what happened to be her extremely rich and important father.

With an eyepatch.

This guy was one white Persian away from being the next Bond villain.

"He's not my dad."

"What?" Gramma looked at her, then Ciel.

"He's not my DAD!" Dollface yelled, then shot into the air on brown, never before seen wings in a flurry of dust and feathers.

"Aaahh, bugger, not today."


	82. Spitfire

Oh hey, I can see Missy's grandma's double-wide from here. And look at all their goats, they look like ants from here! Dollface looked down at her little town of Elmore, seeing how truly small it was.

She could even see what was left of Fazbear's from here!

Dollface was soon grabbed midair by Ciel, his massive black barred wings pumping around him as feathers flew around them like an oily sheen on a street puddle dipped in white moonlight.

"Get down from here and talk like an adult!"

"Don't touch me!" She folded the wings, falling, then shot them back up to pull away. Ciel growled, visibly upset.

"Let's be reasonable here!" Ciel lowered, then followed her as she raised again. The girl was lucky she was wearing a low-backed dress. Ciel had already shredded two shirts and suit jackets since meeting her. "Stop acting like a child!"

Dollface spun, "why?"

She slammed her heavy boots into his chest, knocking him off balance, breath temporarily leaving him. Bloody asthma wouldn't let him grasp it back! A second set of ivory and ebony wings ripped through his back to regain balance and speed. Dollface glared at this, then sped ahead in a corkscrewing pattern.

Ciel kept up, being the larger and stronger of the two. Dollface flapped the brown, common wren's wings angrily as he grabbed the hem of her skirt.

He dodged a kick which forced him to let go of the lace.

"All my life, er'one wanted me t'stay still n' be quiet. Why should I now?" She shouted, trying to send another blow to Ciel. "I don't know you. You're fudge-nuts INSANE!"

Ciel tried to grab her again, but was elbowed as she shouted, "Why should I stand by? You killed William!"

"Because he tried to kill you! He killed so many children, Dollface. Look around yourself more often!"

She yelled something like an army of clanking gears and grinding bones mixed with an inhuman cry at him, then zoomed away, pulling up, up, then around, attempting to pull him off guard and attack from behind. She'd already started using her mocking bird talents.

Ciel grabbed her instead, catching her off guard. "You're acting like an edgy little brat who thinks she knows better than everyone else and refuses to listen to other people. You refuse facts and logic, and won't allow anything into your silly little world without a fight unless it fits in with what already exists in your silly little head. You are an utter child!"

Dollface looked at him.

Not in his blue eye, but at him. At the single metal stud in his ear.

"Great to hear!" She said sarcastically as she plummeted with a smile. "'Specially considerin' I am a child!"

Ciel scrambled, passion having made him lose grip on his daughter.

"You think too much, you ol' fart!" Dollface unfurled the beige wings, pulling back up as he dove past her. This guy hadn't been talking to her. He'd been talking to himself. She could tell Ciel Phantomhive did that a lot.

Wow, ego much?

"I'm what, fifteen, sixteen years older than you?" Ciel shouted. "I'm old enough to be your, no wait, I am..."

Temporarily distracted, Dollface slammed again. One thing she'd unintentionally learned from Missy Custer was to go for the esteem.

And that was a good enough distraction as anything!

Ready to just slap her across the face, Ciel finally grabbed a hold of her lace neckline, hand burying itself in the pristine lace.

And then they were grabbed by Sebastian, all 437 burning red eyes and three sets of ivory wings.


	83. Cake

Yesterday hadn't even felt real.

Dollface cut the still cooling round of banana cake and grabbed a spiced peach Gramma had canned earlier in the summer. She grabbed a chipped plate and placed the warm cake and placed the sliced peach from the jar next to the pastry she woke up early to bake.

She sighed.

No one had remembered her birthday today.

Everyone was so busy with Fazbear's and Mike, they forgot all about her

sixteenth.

As disappointing and disheartening as it was, Dollface found that she wasn't the priority, and she wouldn't be for quite a while.

She stepped out from the back porch and looked over to the shared picket fence and found a small Ziploc bag. She trotted over and found that it was full of fish shaped pastries filled with bean paste and a note from Tananka.

Well, someone remembered.

Dollface placed the bag into her overall skirt pocket, right on the front and walked to the gate, opening it with a creak.

Home alone for now.

No one would notice.

Dollface balanced the plate, then placed it in the basket of her blue bike, hearing Courage whine by the screen door. He wanted to come too.

"No boy."

He whined louder, and Dollface turned away.

She swung her leg over the beaten seat and pedaled away.

Away from Tanaka's Gardening, Haddonfield Hank's, Daisy's Dairy Delights, what was left of Freddy's and Joey Drews, and into the woods.

She dropped her bike into the dust and walked down the path, carrying her plate carefully.

Dollface dropped down onto a boulder coated in moss and sighed again, pulling out her fork. She would've watched the creek babble to itself, but there had been very little rain this summer, nearly a drought that worried local farmers and county fire marshals.

She ate slowly, chewing every bite.

Maybe she would invite her friends to the pool later.

They hadn't had a chance to go swimming this summer.

Nothing would ever be the same, she thought, as her back ached from flying.


	84. Five More Nights

William pulled himself up to the surface with a gasp.

Damn river.

He could hear the train nearby.

Actually, he could see it rolling past up on the hillside near the river bank.

He looked at his rotting foam fur hands, feeling outstandingly horny.

How long had William been under there? He dragged himself onto the shore, really wanting to find Henry to see if they could go back to their old college habits.

Or maybe catch the morning train to the big city.

Heard there were some women there that could make your hair stand on end for only five dollars for every half hour of service.

Let's see, can we even get this damn bunny suit off?

Nope, it had embedded itself into his guts like Virginia Creeper. Hopefully

he could find someone who like to fuck rabbits.You never know. Hell, in back in California, you could go for whatever you damn well please and get a parade.

William fell onto his back with an exasperated groan. "I'll come back. I always come back."


End file.
